The Carolina Hurricanes added some defensive depth Wednesday, signing free-agent defenseman Marc-Andre Gragnani to a one-year, two-way contract.

Gragnani, 25, will be paid $800,000 at the NHL level or $105,000 at the American Hockey League level.

Gragnani, a puck-handing defenseman, played parts of two seasons with the Buffalo Sabres before being sent to the Vancouver Canucks on Feb. 27 last season along with Zack Kassian in exchange for Cody Hodgson and Alexander Sulzer. He played 44 games for the Sabres and 11 for the Canucks last season, finishing with a combined total of two goals, 13 assists and a plus-six plus/minus rating.

Gragnani’s first NHL goal came in overtime against the Canes at what was then called the RBC Center late in the 2010-2011 season. His shot from the point deflected off a Canes player for a 2-1 victory. He also notched 12 goals and 48 assists with the Portland Pirates of the AHL that season.

In seven 2011 Stanley Cup playoff games for the Sabres, Gragnani had a goal and six assists.

A Montreal native, the 6-2, 201-pound Gragnani was a third-round draft pick by the Sabres in the 2005 NHL Entry Draft.

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