The Carolina Hurricanes have been a major talking point around the hockey world in recent weeks. For the seventh straight season, Carolina not only made the dance but also won a series in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. No other team in the NHL has done so in the last decade. And for the third time in those seven years, the Canes advanced to Round 3.
While the consistency has been impressive, they were yet again dismantled in the Eastern Conference Finals. Getting swept by the Boston Bruins in 2018-19 was disappointing but understandable for a team that well surpassed expectations. Then came being shockingly swept away by the Florida Panthers in 2022-23. This time, all four losses were one-goal games, and the series was much closer than the ultimate result. So, many had given the Hurricanes the benefit of the doubt for both defeats. But in 2024-25, it got even worse, and they’ve lost that sympathy.
The stage was set for Carolina. Home ice advantage for an Eastern Conference Finals rematch of two years ago against the Florida Panthers, who I should mention have played the most hockey of anyone in the league over the last three years. The Hurricanes had to have this one… or at least make it a series. Instead, their worst nightmare came true. It was over from the start, embarrassed in 5-2 and 5-0 drubbings at home in Games 1 and 2, followed up by falling apart in the third period of Game 3 for a 6-2 loss. While they showed some fight and resiliency to force a Game 5 back in Carolina, the hole they dug themselves was far too deep to overcome.
People don’t like to hear this, but it really was a retooling year in Carolina. This team lost Jake Guentzel, Teuvo Teravainen, Brady Skjei, and Brett Pesce to free agency and then Martin Necas in a mid-season trade. That’s five critical pieces having all walked out the door for almost nothing. Despite that, Rod Brind’Amour still led his group to be among the final four teams standing; that can’t be understated.
That being said, the vast majority of analysts, fans, and insiders are very down on the Carolina Hurricanes after another ECF defeat. However, I’m not one of them, and I actually think the next 3-5 years-plus look very bright for the Canes. The shock and frustration of another third-round flameout is completely warranted. But some are calling for this team to blow it up and start over, and I just don’t see it that way.
Let’s dive into why I believe the Carolina Hurricanes are set up quite well to continue competing for the Stanley Cup in the years to come.
Strong Core and Depth Pieces:
While the core of this team won’t blow you away like some others around the league, it’s still a strong nucleus that has room to improve. When I think of the core players in Carolina, I think of Sebastian Aho, Jaccob Slavin, Seth Jarvis, and Andrei Svechnikov. They may not have a superstar or a guy who can will you to victory, but that four-pack is nothing to scoff at.
Sebastian Aho is a bona fide point-per-game center, somewhere in the 10-15 range among the best at his position in the league. Aho is right in the prime of his career, turning 28 in the summer, and should have 5-7 more elite seasons in him at a minimum. He’s taken a lot of flak in these playoffs, but the production is there, and he did all in his power to win Game 5. He finishes with 15 points (seven goals, eight assists) in 15 games this postseason and now has 85 points (34 goals, 51 assists) in 89 total playoff games. I loved this quote from Aho after being eliminated; he’s not satisfied with anything less than winning the Stanley Cup.
That is the exact attitude and mindset you want from your star players.
Then you’ve got Seth Jarvis. A 23-year-old do-it-all winger that has improved in every season of his NHL career. He can score goals, make plays, throw hits, and kill penalties. Not to mention his relentless work ethic, really a coach’s dream. Jarvis’ chemistry with Aho is top-notch, so the Hurricanes have themselves a budding star that will always hover around point-per-game production next to their top-line center.
While Aho and Jarvis are great, Jaccob Slavin might be the most important of them all. He is the best defensive defenseman in hockey without question and has put it all on display in 2024-25. It’s been common knowledge around hockey that Slavin is a great defender, but everyone’s finally realizing just how good this guy really is. The 31-year-old was unbelievable for Team USA at the 4 Nations Face-Off and has done more of the same for Carolina. He has such a good stick defensively, uses his size well in battles, and is just so smart, seemingly always making the right play. Pretty much the perfect defender.
Those three are a tremendous start, and now you factor in Andrei Svechnikov. Expectations were high for the second-overall pick from the 2018 draft, and 3-4 years into his career, it seemed as if he was emerging as a star in the league. A career-high 69-point (30 goals, 39 assists) 2021-22 campaign felt like just the start for Svechnikov. Unfortunately, in those three years since, he’s struggled with injuries and a dip in production. Svechnikov was much better in this postseason, though things dried up in Round 3. I still believe there remains some untapped potential here.
Cap it all off with lots of really solid depth players. Jordan Staal, Jordan Martinook, Eric Robinson, William Carrier, Sean Walker, and Jalen Chatfield are among the lower lineup pieces that have all fit very nicely in Carolina and shown the ability to play their system to a tee. Rod Brind’Amour deserves his flowers for that, as the depths of his roster have been a rotating door in recent years. While the Hurricanes continue to tinker with their bottom six, adding more size and physicality should be the focus to match up with a team like Florida.
Tantalizing Young Players and Prospects:
The Carolina Hurricanes have had one of the best farm systems in hockey for quite a while now. Even during a time when the team is in win-now mode and consistently making the postseason, the Hurricanes keep churning out young talent. The front office and scouting staff deserve a ton of props for how well they’ve drafted over the years.
Scott Wheeler, who covers NHL draft prospects for The Athletic, had Carolina come in at 16th on his latest league-wide prospect pool rankings. This is actually pretty low for the Hurricanes’ standard, but that’s because several of them have already started to make an impact at the NHL level.
Jackson Blake just had a great rookie season, proving he’s ready for the big leagues, recording 34 points (17 goals, 17 assists) in 80 games. An all-around, really smart and skilled winger that can play up and down the lineup. Trade deadline acquisition Logan Stankoven came in after the Mikko Rantanen saga and showed so much promise. Stankoven’s only 5’8, but he plays way bigger than his size and works his tail off. He looks like a prototypical Carolina Hurricane.
Then you get to the top prospects, Alexander Nikishin, Scott Morrow, and Bradly Nadeau. These three should all really excite Canes fans for what’s to come. Nikishin, in particular, is going to be a stud on the blue line. He was thrown into the fire midway through the playoffs and looked great for the most part in a very difficult situation.
With Orlov very likely walking in free agency, Nikishin should fill a top-four role on defense immediately.
Morrow and Nadeau may not be as ready for a full-time NHL position, but they’ll be impact players sooner rather than later. Nadeau, Carolina’s first-round pick (30th overall) in 2023, is coming off a torrid rookie season in the AHL, posting 58 points (32 goals, 26 assists) in 64 games, while Morrow (40th overall, 2021) also had a productive rookie campaign in the minors. The future looks bright for both.
Cap Space and Draft Picks to Utilize:
The core, depth, coach, and budding young players and prospects build a tremendous foundation in Carolina. Now, general manager Eric Tulsky must use his large amounts of cap space and draft picks to put this team over the top.
With Brent Burns, Dmitry Orlov, and Jack Roslovic’s money coming off the books, the Hurricanes are projected for over $28 million in cap space entering the offseason. I would consider re-signing Burns to a short-term extension at a reasonable price. On the other hand, it’s safe to say Orlov and Roslovic can go. That leaves Jesperi Kotkaniemi as the only problem contract in Carolina, but with the expected salary cap spike, his deal isn’t unmovable in the slightest.
Combine that with having 14 draft picks over the first three rounds of the next four drafts (six firsts, three seconds, and five thirds), and Tulsky can keep swinging for the fences. I know the Rantanen trade didn’t work out, but he managed to nicely recoup a solid young player and good draft capital in the end, providing him the ability to keep going to the well moving forward.
This team needs a jolt offensively up front and on the back end. I’m not super high on the upcoming UFA class, so spending it all this summer doesn’t make sense. Brock Boeser and Nikolaj Ehlers are the main forwards I would target in free agency. Other than them, the trade market is where to shop. Could they take another crack at acquiring Elias Pettersson while his value is at an all-time low? What about Erik Karlsson? Get creative!
The third and least common avenue would be an offer sheet, though we’ve seen this organization squarely involved in the RFA mix before. The Edmonton Oilers are tight to the cap and will soon have to extend Connor McDavid. Why not put in an offer sheet for Evan Bouchard? Carolina has the cap space and picks necessary to pull it off and still be in a good spot financially. Jaccob Slavin is quite literally the perfect complement to a dynamic offensive defenseman like Bouchard. This is the kind of swing Tuslky needs to take.
If none of those are plausible, the main priority is for the Hurricanes to keep their options open for the 2026 offseason. Next summer’s free agent crop is loaded, and Carolina is poised to be in a prime position to pounce. Kirill Kaprizov, Kyle Connor, Artemi Panarin, and Adrian Kempe are among the names that could hit the market after the 2025-26 season. They would all be tremendous fits on a top line with Sebastian Aho.
Overall, there’s way too much good going on with the Carolina Hurricanes in the now and the future to be worried. They just need to add one more elite talent and some toughness to take that next step, which is much closer than many believe. The organization has done most of the hard work; now it’s time for the fun stuff.
The Sports Outsider 
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