Seth Jarvis is back in Raleigh, a lot wealthier man than when he left.
The Carolina Hurricanes winger seemed to have a little extra bounce in his step Wednesday as he bounded into an interview room at PNC Arena. And why not? His new eight-year contract with the Canes, signed last week, will pay him a total of $63.2 million.
“It’s a big day for the franchise, to have a cornerstone player like him sign with the team long term,” general manager Eric Tulsky said. “He’s someone we can build around. We’re glad to have him part of it. We know he’s going to just keep getting better and better and we wanted to reward that.”
Jarvis, 22, was wearing his newly minted “Hug Money” T-shirt, which shows him with his arms around a sack full of cash. The T’s apparently are selling well, proceeds benefiting the Carolina Hurricanes Foundation.
Jarvis said he had not planned any extravagant purchase since the big signing. He said he might like to buy, oh, a lake cabin, at some point, and he certainly has the financial wherewithal to do it.
But that can wait. For now, it’s all about preparing for his fourth NHL season with the goal of taking another step forward in his young career.
A first-round draft pick by the Hurricanes in 2020, Jarvis is coming off a season that had him post career highs in goals (33), assists (34) and points (67). The 5-foot-10, 184-pound forward has earned the trust and respect of Canes coach Rod Brind’Amour with his skill and grit — Jarvis played with a sore shoulder much of the season — and become a fan favorite with his play and personality.
“I’m just trying to be the best version of myself,” Jarvis said. “I want to keep playing hard and I’m going to keep putting out a 1,000 percent effort.”
Before joining Tulsky at the press conference, Jarvis was able to get by Invisalign Arena and say hello to the guys. And there were some new guys to meet — free-agent signees such as forward Jack Roslovic and defenseman Sean Walker, to name two.
The Canes will have a new look as it begins the 2024-25 season after losing the likes of Brett Pesce and Brady Skjei, Teuvo Teravainen and Stefan Noesen, all leaving in free agency.
The Canes also will be without another lineup regular, winger Jesper Fast, who injured his neck in the final game of the 2023-24 regular season. Fast underwent neck surgery on Aug. 6 and is expected to miss the season.
Gone, too, after a brief stay with the Hurricanes, is forward Jake Guentzel. A trade deadline acquisition from the Pittsburgh Penguins, he signed with the Tampa Bay Lightning during free agency..
The Canes were hoping the point-producing Guentzel would be the missing piece needed for a run at the Stanley Cup, but they again bowed out of the playoffs in the second round, beaten by the New York Rangers.
The NHL salary cap prevented Carolina from re-signing all of the unrestricted free agents as the Canes sought to lock down shutdown defenseman Jaccob Slavin and then Jarvis with eight-year deals.
The Hurricanes structured both contracts to include deferred payments, in each case lowering the average annual value charged against the cap. Slavin signed an extension July 1. With Jarvis, a restricted free agent, it took longer.
Tulsky said with Jarvis’ contract, there was $15 million in deferred income. That lowered his AAV to $7.42 million a season and provided some cap relief.
“We wanted to keep Seth here long term and we wanted to pay him what he’s worth.” Tulsky said. “We also wanted to leave room to build a good team around him and win championships moving forward.”
Jarvis said said he never considered a shorter, bridge-type deal an option.
“This is where I want to be,” he said. “It would have been a different road we could have taken, but I’m more than happy this is the way it went.”
While sad to see some old friends leave, and with Fast out following his surgery, Jarvis said he likes the look of the Canes’ remade roster.
“I don’t foresee any kind of shakeup of chemistry in the room,” Jarvis said. “We have exceptional players. Obviously, we lost a few guys. We’ll have a different shape about the team but I think it’s a team that will (do) some damage.”
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