RALEIGH, N.C. — Aaron Ward avoided a weekend arbitration hearing with the Carolina Hurricanes by signing a four-year, $7.5 million contract Thursday.
The defenseman, who had career highs in games, assists and points last season for the Eastern Conference champions, will make $1.5 million this season, and then $2 million a year for three seasons.
The deal doubles his 2001-02 salary of less than $1 million.
The long-term contract came as somewhat of a surprise because the 29-year-old Ward could have become an unrestricted free agent after next season. The defenseman also was mentioned in possible trades during the summer.
"This gives him security, and it protects us from his free agency," Carolina general manager Jim Rutherford said in a telephone interview from Canada. "It seemed to be a fair compromise. We get Aaron for four years, and he still gets another crack at free agency at a relatively young age."
Carolina's defense now looks solid, with Bret Hedican signed last month to a six-year, $18 million deal and top-line players Glen Wesley and Sean Hill still under contract.
"Aaron and Bret played very well together and they played key roles on our defense," Rutherford said. "The fact that we could lock them up long term is important to us."
Ward will be entering his eighth NHL season and his second with Carolina. In a career-high 79 games with the Hurricanes, the 6-foot-2, 225-pound Ward scored three goals and had career highs in assists (11), points (14) and penalty minutes (74). In 23 playoff games, Ward had one goal, one assist and 22 penalty minutes.
Ward was acquired last year from the Detroit Red Wings for a 2002 second-round draft pick. He was a first round pick (No. 5 overall) by the Winnipeg Jets in 1991. In 1993, he was traded to Detroit along with a 1993 fourth-round pick for left winger Paul Ysebaert and right winger Alan Kerr.