The great thing about what Carolina Hurricanes [http://thn.com/carolina]GM Eric Tulsky has done isn't just that he led the team to the second Stanley Cup win in franchise history. Tulsky has also set up this group of players to be perennial Cup front-runners for the foreseeable future. The Hurricanes proved too much for even a veteran-laden team like the Vegas Golden Knights [http://thn.com/vegas] to handle, and Tulsky has put together a roster for 2026-27 that is going to be dominant again. As it stands, Carolina has nearly $12 million in projected salary cap space [https://puckpedia.com/team/carolina-hurricanes]. Although they need to sign young RFA defenseman Alexander Nikishin and potentially UFA goalie Frederik Andersen to new contracts, that still leaves a good deal of cap space for Tulsky to add a veteran to the lineup. Andersen, in particular, is one to watch, as he had a helter-skelter playoff performance. Tulsky has two goalies signed in Brandon Bussi and Pyotr Kochetkov, so there's no urgent need to throw a lot of money Andersen's way. Regardless, a Bussi/Kochetkov tandem next season could give Carolina just enough above-average goaltending to win games the way they did in this year's post-season. Tulsky has virtually the entire team under contract, and the core is signed long-term. Players signed past 2030 are Sebastian Aho, Nikolaj Ehlers, Seth Jarvis, Logan Stankoven, Jackson Blake, K'Andre Miller and Jaccob Slavin. That's an elite core that should lead the Hurricanes to plenty of success. You know there is probably a slew of players out there who will take a Canes-friendly discount to join Carolina next year as well. In the relatively weaker Metropolitan Division, their road back to the Cup final figures to be easier than it would be in the Atlantic and especially the Central. So the chance to sign with Carolina will be very tempting for free agents seeking their best chance to win a Cup. Is Rod Brind'Amour A Hockey Hall Of Famer? It's Complicated [https://deweb-519a7.b-cdn.net/post-images/dfc5a8b5-2c0e-4a5d-97d4-e6b963b924c1.jpeg] Is Rod Brind'Amour A Hockey Hall Of Famer? It's Complicated Rod Brind'Amour won the Stanley Cup with the Carolina Hurricanes as a player and now, as a coach. That sparked debate about whether he should be a Hall of Famer, but can we combine his playing and coaching careers? [https://thehockeynews.com/news/latest-news/is-rod-brindamour-a-hockey-hall-of-famer-its-complicated] Finally, the Canes will once again have the brilliance of coach Rod Brind'Amour next year. If Brind'Amour doesn't win his second Jack Adams Award as the NHL's best bench boss sometime soon, it'll be a major mistake by voters for the honor. Brind'Amour showed he could handle any opponent's blueprint for success and make the adjustments the Hurricanes needed to overcome the opposition. He's one of the best in the world at what he does, and he's delivered as advertised. So it's clear that Carolina will be the Metro's No. 1 seed and likely the top team in the East. And if the Hurricanes stay healthy in the post-season next year, they should be the clear favorite to come out of the East. Of course, things have to fall just perfectly for any championship win to come together. You need good luck health-wise, and the Canes got that this season. You need depth at all positions, and Carolina got that, too. And you need some good fortune on the ice. The Hurricanes had all those things, and that's why they're celebrating a Cup win today. Winning a Cup is hard, but repeating as Cup champions is harder. So the Canes will be facing a mountainous task next season. But with the well-balanced lineup Tulsky has assembled, the Hurricanes have no excuse not to be back in the thick of things next year and until further notice. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free. [https://deweb-519a7.b-cdn.net/post-images/bfd414ce-b06e-461c-8408-60121d02dde4.jpeg] For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free. See more of The Hockey News on Google and save us as a preferred source [https://www.google.com/preferences/source?q=thehockeynews.com]. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here [http://eepurl.com/i7OC4I]. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.
