After nearly 20 seasons of struggles, the Carolina Hurricanes' patience paid off with a Stanley Cup. The Hurricanes' championship is an inspiration for teams in similar circumstances. Which franchise will be the next to benefit from roster loyalty?
For nearly two full decades, the Carolina Hurricanes tried to replicate their first Stanley Cup-winning season, and they failed time and time again.
The wilderness for the Hurricanes was bleak at times, especially when they missed the playoffs in nine consecutive seasons from 2010 to 2018. Carolina eventually built its roster up, becoming a post-season regular ever since.
Even though they were consistently among the NHL's final few teams standing each year, the frustrations of only winning a series or two would've made it very understandable if the front office decided to tear the Hurricanes down to the studs and rebuild.
However, Carolina management stayed the course with their group and head coach Rod Brind’Amour, and all the patience paid off.
There are a few organizations who may be facing the same dilemma. What teams? Well, you’d have to include the Dallas Stars and Minnesota Wild as essentially being in the same spot as the Hurricanes were entering the 2025-26 campaign.
The Stars won their only Cup in franchise history in 1999, and have since made it to the Western Conference Final or further a whopping six times without winning a championship.
Now, the Stars have tweaked their roster hoping they improve on last season’s first-round exit at the hands of the Wild. GM Jim Nill has fully committed to his group, and the Stars brought back 36-year-old captain Jamie Benn for what could be his final NHL season. So it’s fair to wonder if we’re going to see a changing of the guard in Dallas if things don’t go well in 2026-27.
Meanwhile, the Wild also have relied on a core of talent as they’ve tried (and mostly failed) to push deeper into the playoffs. Since the 2012-13 season, they've made the playoffs 12 times but have progressed beyond the first round on just three occasions. It’s all been so mediocre in Minnesota.
That’s going to change one way or another this year, as superstar defenseman Quinn Hughes is entering the final season of his contract. The Wild can’t afford for Hughes to leave as a UFA next summer, so if GM Bill Guerin can’t get Hughes’ signature on a contract extension, he will almost be forced to trade Hughes to a team of his choosing.
But there’s no question Minnesota should be going all-in with their current lineup. The Wild have 14 players who are 29 or older, and they’ve got 10 players who’ll be UFAs at the end of the coming season. It feels like it’s time to put-up or shut-up.
There are other teams that will see Carolina’s Cup win as vindication for staying the course. The Edmonton Oilers have no choice but to keep running it back with superstars Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, unless the former engineers his way out of town.
Additionally, the Florida Panthers and Toronto Maple Leafs have committed to their core for the long-term. Florida, of course, won back-to-back Cups from 2023-2025, so their choice to run it back with mostly the same group is entirely understandable.
The Maple Leafs, on the other hand, have run into brick walls in the playoffs for their entire history in the salary cap era.
Toronto has stuck with their core of Auston Matthews, William Nylander, John Tavares and Morgan Rielly. Even in the wake of the Maple Leafs’ first miserable season without Mitch Marner, GM John Chayka didn’t change up the foundation of the roster.
The Winnipeg Jets could also take some inspiration from the Hurricanes as a veteran-laden team that hasn't been able to translate regular-season success to the playoffs.
Winnipeg GM Kevin Cheveldayoff is famously loyal to his players, and although superstar goalie Connor Hellebuyck has publicly stated he wants out of town, they’ve also built a lineup clearly still in win-now mode.
With the age of parity in the NHL, teams are just looking for a lottery ticket for a championship – and that lottery ticket is a playoff berth. If any of these teams get hot at the right time of year, more than a few have the capability to win a Cup.
Whether it happens with the Stars, Wild, Oilers, Maple Leafs or another team, it’s entirely possible that we see another example of a patient approach paying off in the long haul.
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