— Ron Francis, Executive Vice President and General Manager of the National Hockey League’s Carolina Hurricanes, today announced that the team has bought out the remainder of defenseman James Wisniewski’s contract.

Wisniewski, 32, appeared in one game with the Hurricanes in 2015-16, suffering a torn ACL in his left knee during the first period of the team’s opener against the Nashville Predators. He has appeared in 552 career NHL games with Chicago, Anaheim, the New York Islanders, Montreal, Columbus and Carolina, totaling 274 points (53g, 221a).

The Carolina Hurricanes open the 2016-17 regular season, their 19th season in North Carolina, on the road against the Winnipeg Jets on Oct. 13. The Hurricanes host the New York Rangers in their regular-season home opener at PNC Arena on Oct. 28 (7:30 p.m.).