In a league where futures are often traded away before they’re even formed, the Carolina Hurricanes are choosing patience—and a little faith.
On Monday, the club signed forward Ryan Suzuki and defenseman Ronan Seeley to one-year, two-way contracts, extending their time with the organization that first saw potential in their early promise.
Suzuki’s story is familiar, though not yet finished. The younger brother of Canadiens captain Nick Suzuki, Ryan has carved out his own identity in the AHL, leading the Chicago Wolves with 59 points and 47 assists last season. A tall, smooth-skating center with playmaking vision, Suzuki hasn’t made a permanent leap to the NHL—but he’s become a reliable fixture in the system. His 230 games in the AHL haven’t dimmed his shine; they’ve burnished him.
At $775,000 at the NHL level, the Hurricanes are investing not just in Suzuki’s ceiling, but in the quiet steadiness he’s shown. Drafted 28th overall in 2019, he made his NHL debut this past January against the Blackhawks—just a glimpse of what might still come.
Ronan Seeley’s path has been quieter, but no less meaningful. A seventh-round pick in 2020, Seeley has grown into a leadership role with the Wolves, serving as an alternate captain last season. A dependable presence on the blue line, he’s logged 197 career AHL games and was part of Canada’s gold-medal run at the 2022 World Juniors.
Now 22, Seeley’s deal mirrors Suzuki’s—$775,000 if he breaks through to the NHL. It’s a small financial commitment, but a meaningful one. For players like Seeley, whose development isn’t always accompanied by headlines, the trust of an organization can be as valuable as a roster spot.
The Hurricanes know what they have in these two: players still climbing, still refining, still believing. Not stars—yet—but perhaps something better in the long run. Reliable pieces. Cultural anchors. And maybe, just maybe, the kind of late bloomers every Cup contender quietly needs.
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