Nathan Beaulieu Signs PTO With Metropolitan Team

The Carolina Hurricanes have signed defenseman Nathan Beaulieu to a professional tryout contract.

Beaulieu earned himself a contract with the Anaheim Ducks after successful PTO last season and will now be looking to do the same this time with the Hurricanes. In 52 games last season with the Ducks, the 6-foot-2 defenseman posted four assists, 49 hits, and a minus-23 rating.

It is a little surprising to see the Hurricanes sign a defenseman to a PTO when looking at their current group. Brent Burns, Jaccob Slavin, Brett Pesce, Tony DeAngelo, Dmitry Orlov, Brady Skjei, Jalen Chatfield, Caleb Jones, and Dylan Coghlan are all on their roster. Thus, Beaulieu has an uphill battle to earn himself a depth spot on their NHL roster.

It will be interesting to see how much Beaulieu impresses during this PTO. He could be a decent defenseman for the Hurricanes if officially signed, and NHL teams, especially contenders, can never have enough defensemen.