Notebook: Fast a 'Perfect Fit' for Canes System, Culture

Carolina Hurricanes President and General Manager Don Waddell was in between phone calls about 90 minutes into the opening of free agency on Friday.
"We're staying in touch with a lot of guys. We don't have a lot of cap space, that's number one. I've said all along, if we can find a way to upgrade our team by not using all of our cap space, we've got to look at that," he said. "We're talking with some teams about different needs. Whether anything gets done or not today, I don't look at it like this is the only day you're going to do deals. There are going to be lots of players that don't get signed today, and that's going to continue into the weekend."
Sure enough, once the dust settled, the Canes made their first signing of the offseason on Saturday, inking forward Jesper Fast to a three-year, $6 million contract.

"I know Brady Skjei from playing with the Rangers. I talked with him, and he had only good stuff to say," Fast said in a virtual chat on Sunday. "Of course, talking with Rod and Tom, they convinced me they wanted me there. In the end, I'm really looking forward to getting there and meeting all the guys."
Fast also talked with Skjei after the playoffs. Recall, Skjei laid a huge hit on Fast just 32 seconds into Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Qualifiers. The hit knocked Fast out of the series with a concussion and helped spark the Canes in a dominant, three-game sweep.
"I have a good opportunity to get him back here a little more when I'm practicing with him. No, just kidding," Fast smiled. "No bad blood. I've known him for many years. He's a good friend, so no harm there."

When the Canes' decision makers then sat down after the season to identify potential free agent targets, Fast was high on their list. A day and a half after the start of free agency, he was on their roster.
"We play a very fast system. Rod likes to always be on the attack with the puck," Waddell said on Sunday. "There are a lot of good players in free agency, but we look more at what players can play the way we like to play. Jesper was one of the guys we identified early."
Fast had played his whole career, spanning 422 regular-season games and seven seasons, with the Rangers, who selected him in the sixth round (157th overall) of the 2010 NHL Entry Draft. The Nassjo, Sweden, native was tracking to put up career numbers in the 2019-20 season prior to the pause, with 12 goals, 17 assists and 29 points. In total, Fast has accumulated 147 points (55g, 92a) in the NHL since 2013.
Fast isn't going to be relied upon for scoring, but it is an added bonus when the bottom six can add an offensive punch. He's a versatile, right-shot winger, and at 6-foot-1 and 191 pounds, he can throw his body around. Fast recorded 125 hits in 2019-20, the third consecutive season he's crossed the century mark and the fifth time he's done so in the last six seasons. The 28-year-old paced the Rangers and ranked 21st among NHL forwards in shorthanded ice time (162:35) in 2019-20 and tallied a pair of shorthanded goals.
"I've played them a lot and seen how they play. They play a fast game, and they play hard. I really like how they play, and I feel like I fit the system really good. I feel like everyone has good character and works hard. That's what drove me to Carolina, as well," Fast said. "I talked to Brady, and just heard amazing stuff about Rod. I have not heard a bad word about him, so I'm really looking forward to getting a chance to work with him."
Fast will bring effort and leadership to the Canes, both qualities Rod Brind'Amour likes to see in a player. Fast served as an alternate captain for New York from 2018-20 and received the "Players' Player" award, voted on by the Rangers players and given annually to who "best exemplifies what it means to be a team player," in five consecutive seasons.
"You know what he means to his teammates," Waddell said. "We all talked to Brady, and Brady couldn't say enough good things about Jesper. It was a perfect fit for us."
Cap Crunch
Remember, about 600 words ago, that quote from Waddell?
"We don't have a lot of cap space, that's number one," he said. "I've said all along, if we can find a way to upgrade our team by not using all of our cap space, we've got to look at that."
CONTRACT TRACKER
After the signing of Fast, the Canes now have around $5.8 million left under the flat salary cap of $81.5 million. That's not a lot of wiggle room, especially with restricted free agents Haydn Fleury and Warren Foegele still left to sign - and more on them below.
That's not to say the Canes have finished their offseason business, but a number of factors - asset management and value, perhaps chief among them - have to be considered.
"If there's something that fits into all those parameters and makes our team better, we've got to take a look at it," Waddell said on Sunday.
Four Players Elect Arbitration
Four of the Canes' eight restricted free agents have elected salary arbitration: Fleury, Foegele, Clark Bishop and Gustav Forsling.
What exactly is salary arbitration? In this case, it's a tool that restricted free agents can utilize if they feel the contracts they're being offered aren't reaching fair market value for what they're worth. A third-party arbitrator, then, can settle the dispute.
OFFSEASON PLAYER TRACKER
Hearings will be held Oct. 20 through Nov. 8, but negotiations don't always reach that point. Recall last offseason when Brock McGinn had elected salary arbitration but then re-signed a two-year, $4.2 million contract prior to the hearing.
In fact, of the 40 restricted free agents (compared to 26 this year) who filed for arbitration in 2019, only six, including Joel Edmundson (with St. Louis) and Anton Forsberg, had their salaries determined by an arbitrator.
The Canes, meanwhile, remain in contact with the representation for Fleury and Foegele.
"The good thing is we are talking. They have the right to file," Waddell said. "Our goal is still to try to get things worked out and avoid going to arbitration."