The Carolina Hurricanes signed forward Patrick Dwyer to a two-year contract extension that will run through the 2014-15 season, the team announced on Wednesday.

The deal will pay the 29-year-old forward $1.8 million over the length of the deal, which comes out to a salary-cap hit of $900,000 per season. He will make $625,000 this season during the final year of his current contract.

“Patrick has been an excellent fit for our organization, and plays an important role for our team,” said general manager Jim Rutherford. “He is one of our top penalty killers and provides speed for our forward lines.”

In 73 games with the Hurricanes last season, Dwyer scored five goals to go with seven assists. He was counted on to play an important defensive role for the Hurricanes, and along with being one of their most-used penalty killers, he also spent most of his even-strength ice-time as part of the Hurricanes' shutdown line alongside the recently traded Brandon Sutter. That line was often matched up against other teams' top forwards, and the opponents he spent the most time playing against at five-on-five last season included Alex Ovechkin, Martin St. Louis, Alexander Semin, and Jason Spezza.

For more hockey news, rumors and analysis, follow @EyeOnHockey and @agretz on Twitter and like us on Facebook.