There were plenty of teams interested in Stasny, including the Calgary Flames and Vegas Golden Knights, and according to Elliot Friedman on the latest episode of 32 Thoughts: the podcast, Stasny turned down more money from Vegas to head to Carolina.
Stasny played in Vegas from 2018-2020, before being traded back to the Winnipeg Jets. The move was made to get his $6.5 million cap hit off their books. A lesson management in Vegas still hasn't learned. Golden Knights had to give up Max Pacioretty that's basically been point-per-game, albeit with some injury struggles, the last three seasons and a 24 year-old defenseman with almost 100 games NHL experience.
Let's also not forget that the initial cost of acquiring Pacioretty included Nick Suzuki, not exactly a cheap price that Vegas have paid to clean up their salary mess.
With such pressure on their salary cap, poor goal tending and a very tough Western Conference, it's understandable that he would take less money to join a genuine contender like the Hurricanes.
Stasny, a 16-year veteran in the NHL has earned an estimated $84 million over the course of his career, and at 36-years old, it's clear now that he can prioritize winning a Stanley Cup.
Stasny, along with new addition Brent Burns will add a veteran presence that this lineup needs, and if both can be productive, this will be a fun, competitive team to watch.
POLL | ||
25 AOUT | 163 ANSWERS Paul Stasnty turned down more money from this team because he didn't want to go there Do you see the Hurricanes as a Stanley Cup contender? | ||
Winning the cup, this roster is stacked | 24 | 14.7 % |
Yes, see them in the mix for sure | 107 | 65.6 % |
No, Eastern Conference is too tough | 32 | 19.6 % |
List of polls |