Although Waddell said he believes defenseman remains the Hurricanes' strength with Hamilton, Jaccob Slavin, Brett Pesce, Brady Skjei, Jake Gardiner and
Haydn Fleury
signed for this season, the Hurricanes haven't closed the door on re-signing defenseman
Sami Vatanen
, who became an unrestricted free agent Oct. 9.
Vatanen had a lower-body injury when he was acquired in a trade with the New Jersey Devils on Feb. 24. He did not play any regular-season games for the Hurricanes and had three assists in seven playoff games.
"He hasn't been a position that he felt he wanted to make a decision," Waddell said. "I talked to him again last week and we just said, 'Keep us posted. We think there's a good fit here for you.' So until he signs here or someplace else, we'll continue to talk to him."
Waddell said talks with forward Andrei Svechnikov on a contract extension have been paused since before the 2020 NHL Draft began Oct. 6, but he remains confident the sides will reach an agreement. Svechnikov, who was third on Carolina with 61 points (24 goals, 37 assists) last season, is entering the final season of his three-year, entry-level contract and will be eligible to become a restricted free agent when it expires.
Waddell said Oct. 1 a bridge deal of two years that would set up the 20-year-old for a longer-term deal afterward is most likely.
"We talked before the draft actually and said, 'Let's get through the draft. Let's get through free agency,'" Waddell said. "So we haven't had any more (negotiations). … Nothing is easy, but this one will get done. Andrei wants to be here. His agents want him here. We want him here. Once we get down to some serious talks, I think it will get done fairly quickly."