qualifying offer for Stewart, making him an unrestricted free agent. He signed a two-year, US$1.8 million contract with the Carolina Hurricanes on July 2, 2011. After the first 50 games with the Hurricanes Stewart recorded 6 goals and 13 points, while playing mostly on the fourth line. Despite leading the team with a +4 rating Carolina placed him on waivers. He cleared waivers the following day and remained with the team. He finished the year with 9 goals and 20 points in 77 games, while his plus-minus rating fell to -2. Prior to the start of the 2012–13 season the NHL enforced a lockout. Three weeks into the labor dispute Stewart signed with the Nottingham Panthers of the Elite Ice Hockey League in the United Kingdom. Stewart stated that he signed with the team as a way of staying in game shape. He played 19 games for Nottingham recording 11 points. Upon the conclusion of the lockout Carolina traded Stewart to the Los Angeles Kings, along with two draft picks in exchange for Kevin Westgarth. Los Angeles did not play Stewart in their opening game and placed him on waivers prior to their next game. Stewart cleared waivers and was assigned to the Kings minor league affiliate the Manchester Monarchs. The move allowed the Kings to activate Anze Kopitar off of their non-roster list. In the 2013–14 season, Stewart initially signed a one-year contract with Russian club, Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg of the KHL. In failing to establish himself within Avtomobilist, scoring just 1 goals in 19 games, Stewart was mutually released from his contract to join Swiss club, HC Fribourg-Gottéron of the National League A, on a monthly basis contract on December 16, 2013. Stewart contributed with 8 points in 12 games, before he continued his unsettled season, joining his third club and NLA strugglers, Rapperswil-Jona Lakers in a brief stint to end the year. On August 4, 2014, Stewart returned for another attempt in the KHL, signing a trial contract as a free agent with Croatian club, KHL Medveščak Zagreb. He was released from his try-out after 12 games with the club on October 14, 2014. International play Stewart first played internationally at the 2002 World U-17 Hockey Challenge representing Ontario. The tournament is a non-International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) sanctioned event in which Canada is represented by five teams (Pacific, Western, Ontario, Quebec and Atlantic). In the tournament Team