It's June 24, and free agency doesn't start for another week, but we're pretty comfortable insaying that the Carolina Hurricanes have already made one of the smarter signings of the summer. Defenseman Ron Hainsey, for most of the 2013 offseason, signed a three-year contract worth $2.83 million annually on Tuesday. That's an exceedingly reasonable deal. Hainsey is 33 years old and hasn't totaled more than 19 points since 2009-10 with the Atlanta Thrashers, but he's been a reliable, play-driving second-pairing defenseman throughout. That certainly was the case last season; Hainsey averaged 21:26 per game, including more than 2 minutes on the penalty kill, and played Miles Wood Jersey well. Justin Faulk and Andrej Sekera were Carolina's top pair, but Hainsey was reliable behind them, starting the majority of his even-strength shifts in the defensive zone against second-line competition.In those minutes, Carolina controlled 51 percent of all shot attempts, a little more than a percent better than they did overall. Hainsey's not a world-beater, and his lack of offensive production deservedly would've stopped him from getting a ton more anywhere else. He also would've been one of the better defensemen to hit the market, so Tuesday's news is good for the Hurricanes and bad for teams looking to add a decent player at a decent price. So, everyone else. Ondrej Pavel Jersey