The Hurricanes have signed defenseman Jake Gardiner to a four-year contract.

Under terms of the deal announced Friday by Carolina GM Don Waddell, Gardiner will make an average of $4.05 million each season.

"He's a great player. He's a great skater," Carolina defenseman Jaccob Slavin said. "He's really solid at running the power play. That's a great addition for our team. I think our blue line definitely just got stronger."