The Carolina Hurricanes have their backup goaltender under contract.
The team said Monday that Justin Peters had signed a two-year contract. Peters will be paid $500,000 on the NHL level or $105,000 on the American Hockey League level in 2010-11, with a guarantee of at least $225,000. In 2011-12, it will pay him $550,000 in the NHL or $105,000 in the AHL, with a guarantee of $250,000.
"Justin has developed very well since he turned professional," general manager Jim Rutherford said in a statement. "He is an important part of our future."
Peters, 23, made his NHL debut last season after a back injury to Cam Ward, the Canes' No. 1 goaltender. He won his first three starts and finished with a 6-3-0 record, 2.83 goals-against average and .905 save percentage in nine games.
Peters, a native of Blyth, Ontario, made his first NHL start on Feb. 6, stopping 34 of 35 shots in a victory over the New York Islanders at Nassau Coliseum.
Peters appeared in 47 AHL games last season for the Albany River Rats, the Canes' top minor-league affiliate. He had a 26-18-2 record with a 2.54 goals-against average and .917 save percentage and played for the Canadian team at the 2010 AHL All-Star Classic.
Peters was drafted by the Hurricanes in the second round, 38th overall, of the 2004 NHL Entry Draft.
Chip Alexander
NHL enforcer Probert dies: Retired NHL enforcer Bob Probert, as adept with his fists as with a stick in a 16-season career with the Detroit Red Wings and Chicago Blackhawks, died Monday after suffering chest pains while boating with his family. He was 45.
Probert was on a boat in Lake St. Clair, Ontario, with his wife, children and in-laws when he "developed severe chest pains" Monday, family friend Rich Rogow told a Monday evening news conference at Ontario's Windsor Regional Medical Center.
Probert, who struggled to overcome drinking problems during his time in the NHL, played for the Red Wings in 1985-1994 and for the Blackhawks in 1995-2002.
Oilers sign No. 1 draft pick: The Edmonton Oilers have signed top overall draft pick Taylor Hall to a three-year, entry-level contract. Hall's deal includes the maximum base salary of $900,000 per season and could end up netting him around $3 million each year depending on how many performance bonuses he reaches.
