The Carolina Hurricanes are preparing themselves for the 2024 NHL Trade Deadline. All 32 clubs around the league will look to improve their teams now and for the future as the March 8th deadline approaches. However, Carolina has decided to improve their depth in NHL Free Agency before any trade occurs.

The Hurricanes have signed forward Max Comtois to a one-year contract, the team announced on Monday. It's a two-way contract, meaning the 25-year-old will be paid differently depending on where he plays. At the NHL level Comtois is owed $775K while he receives $250K in the AHL.

“Max is a physical forward with lots of NHL games under his belt,” said Hurricanes general manager Don Waddell, via the team's official website. “His experience at this level will add to our organizational depth at that position.”

The 25-year-old has spent the entire 2023-24 season with the AHL's Chicago Wolves to this point. And he turned in a respectable performance with Chicago. He has scored 12 goals and 28 points this year as the Wolves languish near the bottom of the AHL's Central Division.

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Hurricanes hope to unlock Max Comtois

The Hurricanes are hoping they can unearth the potential the Anaheim Ducks saw in Comtois in 2017. That year, the Ducks made the Quebec native the 50th overall pick in the NHL Draft. In 2017-18, Comtois put up an 85-point season in the QMJHL. He made his NHL debut in 2018-19 after putting up 48 points in 25 QMJHL games.

However, things never seemed to work for Comtois at the NHL level. He played more AHL games than NHL games during the 2019-20 season. While he did score 16 goals in 2020-21, he failed to even reach 10 goals in each of the next two seasons. The Ducks released him last July, and he failed to earn a contract with the Vegas Golden Knights ahead of this year.

Max Comtois likely won't be a superstar for the Carolina Hurricanes. However, he could provide important depth for them as the race for the Stanley Cup Playoffs heats up. Let's see if Comtois can revitalize his NHL career with the Hurricanes during the second half of the season.