'Mr. Game 7' Justin Williams returns to Hurricanes on 1-year deal
Carolina's former captain rejoins team after OT win over Flyers
After beating the Philadelphia Flyers in overtime, the Carolina Hurricanes announced a big addition to their roster.
Dougie Hamilton scored 1:56 into overtime to give Carolina a 5-4 win over Philadelphia on Tuesday night, and the Hurricanes' mood was further buoyed by the signing of forward Justin Williams.
The team announced the 18-year veteran has signed a contract for the remainder of the season. Williams will earn a base salary of $700,000 US. He can earn an additional $1.3 million in potential bonuses and team play in the regular season and the playoffs.
Williams has won three Stanley Cups — one with the Hurricanes and two with the Los Angeles Kings — and has 312 goals and 474 assists in 1,244 career games. He didn't sign with any team before the season but has been in negotiations with Carolina for some time.
"There is no adjustment because we know what he is," Hurricanes coach Rod Brind'Amour said. "He's been here. He's a Hurricane. ... It will be an adjustment for him to get back up to speed. That's the whole thing. He's been out a long time. But I've said many times that we'll welcome him back."
It's official <a href="https://t.co/SCX65G5u2p">pic.twitter.com/SCX65G5u2p</a>
—@CanesWilliams joins a team that broke a two-game losing streak and improved to 3-2 on its current seven-game homestand when Hamilton scored on a shot between goalie Brian Elliott's pads.
Warren Foegele, Jake Gardiner, Lucas Wallmark and Joel Edmundson also scored for the Hurricanes, who bounced back from a two-goal, first-period deficit with four straight goals, then squandered a two-goal, second-period lead in a sloppy finish.
"We're happy to get the two points there, but that's not the way we're supposed to play," Foegele said. "And it's pretty evident to everybody watching that we're not playing the way we know we can, and we kind of got lucky there."