The Carolina Hurricanes have been dealing with a slew of injuries within the first 30 games of the 2025-26 season. More importantly, trying to stay above water with multiple guys being out with injury on the blueline. They’ve had to dig deep into their defensive depth to help manage their 19-9-2 record.
Out of that, they’ve found a young Swedish defeseman, who has seamlessly fit right in following a call-up earlier in the season. Following a 23-game performance, Joel Nyström has earned himself a four-year extension with the Hurricanes.
Nyström Staying for Four More
After playing in only three American Hockey League (AHL) games with the Chicago Wolves, Nyström was called up to the Hurricanes after injuries occurred with Shayne Gostisbehere, Jalen Chatfield, and a couple of others on the Hurricanes’ blueline. Since then, Nyström has seen himself in the lineup for 23 games during the 2025-26 season and earned himself a four-year extension after his entry-level contract (ELC) expires next summer.
Related: Hurricanes Extend Joel Nyström to 4-Year Contract
On Friday afternoon (Dec. 12), the Hurricanes announced that they extended Nyström to a four-year, $4.9 million deal, which will go through the 2029-30 season. His new extension does not kick in until July 1, 2026, which will pay him $1.225 million annually. Nyström was going to be a restricted free agent (RFA) after this season, but now he will be a Hurricane until he is 28 years old, following the end of his extension.
After the announcement of the signing, Hurricanes’ general manager Eric Tulsky stated, “Joel stepped into our lineup early in the season and has proven that he belongs in the NHL. He fits our style of play well, and we are excited to watch his continued development in Carolina.”
In 23 games, Nyström has tallied four assists and is a plus-2. He has been averaging 16:02 of time on ice while being paired with Alexander Nikishin recently, along with K’Andre Miller, Mike Reilly, and a couple of other players along the way. It seems no matter who Nyström is paired with, he plays the way head coach Rod Brind’Amour and defense coach Tim Gleason want him to.
Nyström played in four AHL games with the Wolves during the 2024-25 season, after playing in 51 games with Färjestad BK in the Swedish Hockey League (SHL). He finished with six goals and 27 points, along with a plus-19. During the 2023-24 season, Nyström finished with eight goals and 26 points in 51 games, along with a plus-12. During his SHL career, Nyström tallied 25 goals, 61 assists, and 86 points in 221 games, all with Färjestad.
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Nyström was selected 219th overall by the Hurricanes in the 2021 NHL Draft, in the seventh round. What a journey it’s been for Nyström, going from a seventh-round selection to playing in only seven career AHL games, to now earning himself a four-year extension to continue his career with the Hurricanes.
All of this while only playing in 23 NHL games in his rookie season. It’ll be interesting to see what the Hurricanes will do with the young Swedish defenseman when Jaccob Slavin returns from injury. Regardless of that, Nyström has more than earned this extension. It’s a win-win for both the Hurricanes and the player.
The Hurricanes keep a young defenseman, who fits within the system through the 2029-30 season, who will be 28 and an unrestricted free agent (UFA). They could sign him again to another extension if his trajectory keeps increasing over time. Regarding Nyström, he gets a pay increase from $925,000 annually to $1.225 million for the next four seasons, plus he plays in a system that fits his style of play. It also helps to be playing for Brind’Amour and Gleason as his coaches.
When glancing at how the contracts of other defensemen will look after this season (Reilly deal expires after 2025-26, Gostisbehere and Chatfield after 2026-27), expect Nyström to be in the mix on the blueline moving forward.
