It took the franchise a few years to ink a deal, but the Carolina Hurricanes announced on Tuesday, April 2, the signing of one of their top prospects: University of Massachusetts defenseman Scott Morrow.
Morrow has joined the NHL organization on a three-year entry-level contract. Morrow joins the Hurricanes after the franchise drafted the 21-year-old Morrow with a 2nd-round pick in the 2021 NHL draft.
It’s official!
The #Canes have signed defenseman Scott Morrow to a 3-year, entry-level contract 👊
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The prospect has already joined the Canes and is coming off the elimination of UMass from the opening round of the Division I men’s NCAA tournament.
The Hurricanes are the only NHL team without an AHL affiliate team this year, forcing the team to decide whether they’d add Morrow to their NHL roster or try to find a non-affiliate AHL team for him to get some reps.
The Carolina Hurricanes Avoided Losing Scott Morrow to Free Agency
The Hurricanes were approaching dangerous territory with Morrow. The prospect was set to become a free agent in August if the franchise didn’t reach a deal with him before that date.
Morrow has been one of the best college defensemen through the past three seasons, all spent at the University of Massachusetts. Morrow racked up 94 points in 109 games during his collegiate career.
Rod Brind’Amour says he does anticipate getting new #Canes defenseman Scott Morrow in a game, but the team wants to give him some time first.
“We’ll see how everything moves along… We don’t want to set him up for disaster, chucking him in there not knowing what we’re doing.”
“We’ll see how everything moves along,” Hurricanes head coach Rod Brind’Amour told reporters about adding Morrow to the Canes roster on April 3. “We don’t want to set him up for disaster, chucking him in there not knowing what we’re doing.”
This season at UMass, Morrow scored 6 goals and notched 30 points in 37 games. His deal with the Hurricanes will see Morrow earn $807,500 at the NHL level in the 2024–25 season and $832,500 at the NHL level in the 2025–26 season, per NHL.com.
“Scott is a dynamic, offensive-minded defenseman who has consistently been one of the top-performing blueliners in college hockey,” Hurricanes general manager Don Waddell said in the franchise’s statement announcing the signing on April 2. “He has shown the drive and dedication to graduate in three years, and we look forward to the next steps in his development.”
Scott Morrow Joins Trade Deadline Additions Jake Guentzel and Evgeny Kuznetsov
The Hurricanes didn’t just add Morrow to their roster of late. Just under a month ago, in the final hours before reaching the trade deadline on March 8, the Canes added veteran star forwards Jake Guentzel and Evgeny Kuznetsov.
Since trading for both players, the Hurricanes have put up a ridiculous 10-2-1 record and are firmly in contention to finish with the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference. Entering April 4, Carolina is the No. 2 team in the Metropolitan Division with 101 points in 75 games only behind the NHL-best New York Rangers (106 points in 76 games).
“We’re ramping up hopefully at the right time,” Waddell told Stephen Whyno of the Washington Post on Monday, April 1. “Sometimes you make moves that don’t work out, and we’ll see how it all works out when playoffs come.
“But we knew we were bringing in two really good team guys into the locker room.”
The Hurricanes return to action tonight as they take on the fellow Eastern Conference powerhouse Boston Bruins (44-17-15, 103 points) in the first leg of back-to-back games ending on Friday with a game against the Washington Capitals.
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Hurricanes Sign Former 2nd-Round Pick to Join Guentzel & Kuznetsov