As we approach mid-August Hurricanes forward Seth Jarvis is still unsigned. Sitting with $6.44M of cap space, The Hurricanes could use the Wild’s Boldy as comparable for his next contract

Today is August 11th and Hurricanes RFA Seth Jarvis is still unsigned. However, Hurricanes fans should not worry. It has become common over the years that high profile NHL RFA’s are still unsigned at this point in the off-season. In some cases, it trickles into September before training camp before deals get done.

Jarvis, 22, had a career year last season for the Hurricanes. Jarvis scored 33 goals for the Canes, adding 34 assists for a total of 67 points in 81 games. With the Hurricanes having just over $6M in cap space available and Jarvis said to be looking for a long-term deal, it is no wonder it hasn’t been done yet.

One recent contract that the Hurricanes could use as a comparable for Jarvis is Matthew Boldy of the Minnesota Wild.

The 23 year-old Boldy signed a 7-year $49M contract with the Minnesota Wild in July of 2023 after a year in which the Milford, MA native scored 31 goals and 63 points. Boldy rewarded the Wild an even better 23-24 campaign scoring 69 points in 75 games played this past season.

The numbers that Boldy put up prior to signing his extension are almost identical to the stat line that Jarvis had this year for the Hurricanes. Jarvis and his agent Gerry Johannson, are reportedly seeking a long-term commitment of 8 years. Recent speculation has suggested that Jarvis and his camp are looking to come in at an AAV of $8M or slightly higher. The Hurricanes will likely prefer to stay under $8M and could point to Boldy’s contract to help their cause.

Boldy has played in less career games(203) than Jarvis(231) but has produced more points, scoring 75 goals and 171 points compared to Jarvis’s 64 goals and 146 points. However, with the losses of Teuvo Teravainen and Jake Guentzel in free agency, Jarvis and his representation have leverage. Jarvis is going to be an integral part of the Hurricanes offense this season. The team can’t afford for this to drag out and be without Jarvis as the season opens.

One thing that is certain is whenever Jarvis does sign on the dotted line, GM Eric Tulsky will have to make another move to become cap complaint before the season starts. With only having $6.64 of cap space available, the Jarvis contract will put the Hurricanes over the cap. The Canes could simply just send rookie forward Bradly Nadeau and his $918k cap hit down to the AHL to get back under the cap, depending on the AAV that Jarvis comes in at.

With training camp still about 5 weeks away there is still plenty of time to hash things out. One thing is certain though, whether it be a contract comparable to Boldy or slightly higher, Seth Jarvis will be a Carolina Hurricane for many years to come.