The NHL playoffs are finally upon us.

It's the time of the year that every hockey player looks forward to and dreams of. When the games start to really matter and every shift, every shot can be the difference in glory or defeat.

All 32 teams have to go through a grueling, seven-month, 82-game season just for the chance to even be in the postseason and the Carolina Hurricanes are one of the fortunate few.

“It’s not easy to get to this part, getting into the second part of the race," said longtime NHL veteran Brent Burns. "At the start of the year, there’s 32 teams that feel good about their spot and it’s a long grind and a lot of things have to go right and it’s very easy for things to go wrong."

“It’s what you push for all year," said newcomer Taylor Hall. "When I was in Chicago, you were looking at a long summer and just a really long year. I was fortunate to get traded here and join this unreal group of guys and now we’re fighting for the ultimate prize.

"We know what the end goal is, but it’s still special to be in the playoffs. You can only take it one game at a time, one win at a time and it’s a blast. As I get older, these are the games that are just so fun.” 

For the Canes, it's their seventh consecutive postseason appearance, a moniker that seemed virtually impossible when the franchise was mired down in a nine-year playoff drought from 2010-2018.

But new ownership under Tom Dundon ushered in a new era under a new and committed coaching staff alongside a cohesive and connected front office.

Now, the team is an annual contender that gets to compete in the playoffs year in and year out.

And there's just a different feeling in the air come playoff time.

When you're in the doldrums of January, playing a game every other day, it wears away at you mentally. A random Tuesday game on the road against a Western Conference opponent doesn't always get you pumped up to play.

But these games are different.

"The best part about the playoffs is that you don’t have to motivate yourself," Hall said. "You don’t have to get up for a game. It just happens naturally and the true talent and true grit really shines through. That’s the best part.”

"Probably the first thing that you’re going to feel is that you want to go right away when you wake up and I think everyone is going to have that little extra jump in their legs," said franchise cornerstone Sebastian Aho. "It’s awesome and a privilege that we get to play these games.”

Even beyond the players, you can feel the energy in the area and from the fanbase and just the underlying excitement that's building all around the team.

"It’s fun and the best time to be around," Burns said. "You feel the energy. Even that last game in Montreal, you could feel it. That game, it was a little heightened just in that building and you could even feel the energy the night before at dinner. And now it just takes another step. Driving in today, you see the banner and things are different around. This is what you play for."

"It’s always fun, always an exciting time," said Andrei Svechnikov. "Just can’t wait for it to get here. It’s going to be bumping.”

While the team can appreciate that accomplishment, it's still just a small part of the race.

Making the playoffs is the first goal, but there's little consolation in just being in the dance.

After a few recent disappointing exits for the Hurricanes — the team hasn't made it past the Eastern Conference Final, not even won one game there since winning it all in 2006 — the team needs to be able to push over that hump that's been hindering them.

And it starts with a showdown with the New Jersey Devils. 

The Devils are a much different team than when the two met in the 2023 second round.

For one, star center Jack Hughes is out for the season due to a shoulder injury, but the Devils retooled heavily in the time between that series. 

“They did a lot of really good moves in the offseason," said Hurricanes coach Rod Brind'Amour. "That team got much better, clearly."

Upgrades in goal highlighted by veteran Jacob Markstrom are perhaps the biggest additions, but New Jersey has also brought on a lot of youth to the backend in Luke Hughes and Johnathan Kovacevic.

But perhaps the biggest area they beefed up is in team toughness. 

The Devils grabbed Brenden Dillon two years ago and added Paul Cotter to the mix this year and signed two former Hurricanes this offseason that helped eliminate them the last time the two teams met: Stefan Noesen and long-time Hurricane Brett Pesce.

“There’s obviously no friends in the series," Aho said. "I’m sure we’ll talk after, but from now on, we’re radio silent.”

“He’s a great player," Brind'Amour said on Pesce. "There’s a reason they went out and grabbed him out of free agency. We wanted to keep him. It’s all a part of it, but he’s not on our team anymore. We’ll always be friends and he’ll always be part of the Hurricanes franchise, but not for these couple of weeks.”

So it's a different New Jersey team, but it's also a different Hurricanes team as well.

"Every year is different and every group is different," Burns said.

After a blockbuster trade in January that saw Martin Necas and Jack Drury traded for Mikko Rantanen and Hall, many thought that the new Finn was going to be the horse the Hurricanes tied their hopes behind.

But things didn't quite click between the two.

Rantanen played some of his worst hockey, producing just two goals and six points in 13 games and it was clear he wasn't happy nor giving it his all in Carolina.

So the team made another trade, sending him to Dallas in exchange for rookie Logan Stankoven and a boatload of draft picks. 

And all of a sudden, the team was back on track again.

You have to give a lot of credit to the scouting department of the Hurricanes, both amateur and pro, because those two entities have allowed the Canes to remain competitive year in and year out.

In the offseason, the Hurricanes went out and acquired a whole new defensive pair in Shayne Gostisbehere and Sean Walker who have done a good job for Carolina.

They also brought in a whole trio of forwards in Jack Roslovic (22 goals), Eric Robinson (new career high in points) and William Carrier (leads the team in hits).

Then the team traded for Hall, Stankoven and Mark Jankowski, who have all been great fits that have brought additional depth and talent to the forward group as well.

And then there's the development of Jackson Blake who has gelled on the top line with Aho and Seth Jarvis, giving them a relentless, aggressive and talented first line.

Oh, and then there's also that Alexander Nikishin kid waiting in the wings who looks to be a top-end defenseman in the making.

So while a lot of core pieces have remained, the Canes have built up virtually an entirely new body surrounding that core.

“As a player, you always try to be better and try to improve your game and definitely, experience helps," Aho said. "But at the same time, it’s a new team, new season and there’s just a lot of new stuff, so I don’t think you put too much thought into the past or future. We’re just excited we’re here and ready to start it all over again.”

The Stanley Cup Playoffs are the ultimate test for any team. 

Four rounds, 16 wins.

If you want to win the Cup, you have to give everything you have every night and even then, you still have to get lucky too.

For the Hurricanes, the stakes have been raised and the expectations are heightened. 

There's no feel good story about them just being a routine contender anymore. They're expected to make it deep and anything short of that will be seen as a failure.

"Everyone wants to win. No questions asked," said captain Jordan Staal. "Everyone in this group is going to fight as hard as you can for each other."

Playoff Prep
• Round 1 Schedule Revealed: Hurricanes, Devils Kick Off Sunday
• 3 Carolina Hurricanes Who Need To Step Up Their Games For The Playoffs
• The Carolina Hurricanes Are Virtually Fully Healthy, So Who Sits Game 1?
• Frederik Andersen 'More Than Likely' To Be Game 1 Starter, But Will The Hurricanes Rotate Netminders?
• 'He Has All The Tools': Alexander Nikishin Takes Part In First Carolina Hurricanes Practice
• Seth Jarvis, Sebastian Aho Selected For Media End-Of-Season Awards
• Brent Burns Recipient Of Steve Chiasson Award

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