It was far from a guarantee that Derek Stepan would spend a second year with the Hurricanes. After his contract expired in the summer of 2022, the veteran center commanded little interest on the open market, and a return to Carolina seemed possible, especially after Max Pacioretty’s torn Achilles opened some salary cap space.
Stepan did eventually sign, although it took until the eve of the new season, and spent training camp on a PTO. Once back in the fold, he took up his customary fourth-line center role and held that down for the majority of the season, only missing 11 games.