The Carolina Hurricanes come in at No. 16 on TheHockeyNews.com's NHL off-season rankings. The Stanley Cup champions are running it back with a very similar group of players, but is Carolina prepared to go for back-to-back Cups this year?
When you’re the defending Stanley Cup champions, you’ve answered critics and rewarded those who believed in you.
But winning the Cup is one thing, and building on that championship in the off-season is another. Despite winning it all, the Carolina Hurricanes have had a mediocre summer.
The Hurricanes will be entering a season with a target on their back, and with minimal changes from general manager Eric Tulsky, they’ll need their depth and determination to carry over to replicate their outstanding ‘25-26 campaign.
Let’s analyze Tulsky's decisions from this summer and discuss why the Hurricanes are ranked 16th on TheHockeyNews.com’s off-season rankings.
Arrivals:
None
If any team should run it back with nearly an identical roster, it’s the defending champions. While Hurricanes fans would love to see Tulsky spend to the cap ceiling, they must be patient before he steps up and takes a big swing.
That swing might involve Winnipeg Jets goaltender Connor Hellebuyck or a replacement for young defenseman Alexander Nikishin, who is an RFA yet to sign a new contract for next season.
Making moves for the sake of making moves doesn’t put you high in these rankings. Sometimes it’s better to embrace the status quo, and that’s what Tulsky has done this summer.
That said, even Cup-winning teams aren’t perfect. Ideally, if you’re a Hurricanes fan, you probably wanted to see at least a couple minor changes. There's still time for that to happen, but things seem quiet.
Carolina doesn't need to make a blockbuster move, but patience is a virtue with Tulsky. If they do target a needle-mover, Tulsky has the cap space and trade assets (including Nikishin) to make such a move a reality.
Departures:
Frederik Andersen (G), Mike Reilly (D), Charles Alexis Legault (D)
Other than their slight drop-off in defensive depth, the Hurricanes’ biggest departure is Frederik Andersen, who had a Jekyll-and-Hyde season.
He posted an .874 save percentage and 3.05 goals-against average in 35 regular-season appearances, then dominated for the first three playoff rounds before struggling in the Cup final against the Vegas Golden Knights.
Andersen’s collapse forced Canes coach Rod Brind’Amour to turn to rookie Brandon Bussi to carry them the rest of the way.
Despite having more than enough cap space to retain Andersen, the Hurricanes allowed him to walk in free agency, signing with the Edmonton Oilers on a prove-it (again), one-year contract worth $1-million.
Rather than targeting a more established No. 1 goaltender, the Canes have seemingly chosen Bussi and Pyotr Kochetkov as their tandem. Time will tell if this strategy will work out, but the Hurricanes' biggest question seems to be between the pipes.
The Bottom Line:
Tulsky and his analytical approach created a young group that’ll be in contention for the Stanley Cup for quite some time. Adding the fact they have one of the game’s best coaches in Brind’Amour, Carolina has virtually everything you want.
Even if there’s improvement from other Metropolitan Division teams, the Hurricanes enter next season on a higher competitive level than the organizations surrounding them.
If Carolina trades for a netminder like Hellebuyck, or maybe for someone like St. Louis Blues veteran Jordan Binnington, there's a strong chance they will be the odds-on favorite to go back-to-back.
If the stars line up just right, the rest of the league could have great difficulty knocking off the Canes and preventing them from establishing a dynasty.
For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.
