Carolina Hurricanes Off-Season Update: Ondrej Kase’s Departure

During the previous off-season, the Carolina Hurricanes made some strategic signings to bolster their depth, bringing in players like Paul Stastny, Derek Stepan, and Ondrej Kase.

Among these additions, Kase showed promise as a potential contributor to the team. However, his time in Carolina was short-lived, lasting just 11 minutes and 2 seconds into the season.

The previous season had seen Kase perform well with the Toronto Maple Leafs, notching 14 goals and 13 assists in 50 games. However, injuries have always been a concern for him, and his career-high for games played in a season stands at 66.

Now, at only 27 years old, the forward is returning to his home country, Czechia, where he has signed a one-year contract with the Extraliga club HC Litvinov. This move allows him to reunite with his brother, David.

Kase’s season took a challenging turn during the first game with the Boston Bruins, as he suffered a concussion that continued to trouble him throughout the season. Consequently, he was placed on long-term injury reserve in January.

Having played 258 NHL games over 7 seasons, the Czech forward will be returning to professional hockey in his homeland for the first time since 2014.

The Carolina Hurricanes have seen the rise of young talents like Jack Drury and recently added depth forward Brendan Lemieux this month. These developments, coupled with the team’s need for toughness and consistency, led General Manager Don Waddell to make adjustments in the depth player roster.

While many players from last year’s roster remain in Carolina, the influx of new signings necessitates some departures. It is likely that the Hurricanes will make a few more depth-forward signings before training camp begins.