The Carolina Hurricanes are close to securing an AHL affiliate.
According to a report from Tony Androckitis of InsideAHLHockey.com, the Hurricanes and the AHL's Chicago Wolves are finalizing a three-year affiliation deal with two one-year options if the two clubs want to extend the relationship further.
Hurricanes general manager Don Waddell told the media Wednesday that the team has been working hard to secure a new affiliate.
"We're working on it daily. We've been working on it," Waddell said. "I feel that there's a very quick timeline that we are going to have a deal to be able to announce and get back to where we all need to be."
The Wolves decided to go independent prior to the 2023-24 season, leaving the Hurricanes without an AHL affiliate.
Instead, the Hurricanes' top prospects were scattered across other AHL affiliates, the ECHL and Europe.
At their end-of-season availabilities, Wolves GM Wendell Young also hinted that a deal with an NHL team was in the works.
"We're trying to get some stuff done with a possible NHL affiliation very soon," Young said per Androckitis. "Hopefully, it all falls into place again and we get back to some normalcy of the Chicago Wolves and winning.”
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