The Carolina Hurricanes' 2024-25 season came to a close earlier this week as the team lost in five games to the Florida Panthers in the Eastern Conference Final.
On Friday, select players met with the media in Raleigh for their end-of-season interviews.
Here are the interviews from the Canes' leadership group: Jordan Staal, Sebastian Aho, Jaccob Slavin and Jordan Martinook.
Jordan Staal
On the team's run: It shows that the core guys we have here are really good players. We were fortunate to bring in some great players as well. This has been obviously a little frustrating right now. Just trying to unpack what happened the last month or so and all season long, but obviously you want to be in these situations. You want to be in the playoffs, you want to have another chance at the whole thing, it’s just not easy to win. You’d love for it to be easy, but there’s always an opportunity to get better. With the group we have and the way it played out this year, we have a great opportunity to take the next step. It was a positive year. Didn’t end the way we wanted it to, but a lot of good stuff.
On the young guys learning to cherish the opportunities to go deep in the playoffs: I remember getting the speech when I was 18, 19. Going to the Finals those couple of years and you had some old, grizzled guys – like me – telling you like this and you’re like, ‘Ehh, okay…’ Then coming here and being out of it for six years and you’re about ready to lose your mind. You’re not wrong. The stuff doesn’t just happen every year. You hope it does and you work for it every year, but we have some great young players who are coming up still. They learned pretty quickly and they’re loving the feeling of playing in the playoffs and I think once you get that taste, it makes you want it that much more. I think we obviously have some guys who have been here for a while too and are still searching for that first one. So it’s all a good recipe for hopefully getting over the hump.
On if he was surprised by the narratives that popped up of the team being boring or their system not working: Not really. I mean, the media is interesting sometimes. There’s stories that get clicks and narratives that get clicks and eyes and so you run with it. But like Roddy said, Florida wasn’t doing a whole lot different than what we were doing. Obviously they’re an exceptional team, have great players, but the system and their mentality to how we play. Obviously a few different changes in things that they do, but the idea that we were boring, I mean, we’re literally chasing pucks all game long. It’s not like we’re sitting back. It’s a fun game. If you step into the Carolina Hurricane building and watch the game, you won’t be bored.
On what his offseason looks like now with him being well into his career: It has changed. Just me taking care of myself, I realized I have to skate more. As you get older, you have to be on the ice more. And then training wise, there are a few adjustments here and there physically, but I found it’s just my brain. You try to just turn it off the best you can. Get away with the kids and enjoy the family and time and all that stuff. That’s the biggest thing, because it’s a long year and you run into one of these rides and your brain is on all the time. You’re so focused. You wake up today and it’s such a different feeling just knowing you don’t have a game or this or that, worrying about what I have to eat and whatnot. So just turning your mind off is the biggest thing for me, I think. Physically, a few different things have changed training wise as I’ve gotten older, but the mind is the biggest thing, for sure.
On if the loss to Florida creates more clarity in what this team is missing: You could always improve your roster. There’s 30 teams with a lot of great players on it that you always think, ‘Oh, hey. They’d be a great piece,’ or whatever it is. But as I said before. You just want to keep giving yourself a chance. You want to keep getting the best players you can and giving yourself the opportunity to win it all. It’s not easy to do and it’s unfortunate the way it’s played out here since we’ve gotten on a roll to get to that next step, but if it was easy, anyone would do it. Anything worth it is going to be tough.
'Anything Worth It Is Going To Be Tough': Jordan Staal 2024-25 Exit Interview
The Carolina Hurricanes' 2024-25 season <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/shortUrl/CJgdN4l" target="_blank">came to a close earlier this week</a> as the team lost in five games to the Florida Panthers in the Eastern Conference Final.
Sebastian Aho
On reflections on the team and the future: There’s a lot to be excited for. I mean, we have young guys like Stankoven and Nikishin. We already know what kind of player Jarvis is, he’s only going to get better, Blake… Like, we have good pieces on the team and obviously I feel like kind of the core or whatever you want to call it, we’ve been through quite a bit obviously. It’s an exciting offseason because we do have cap space and we do have some assets, but I guess time will tell how it’s all going to play out. But last offseason, obviously to be quite honest, I was kind of disappointed how it went because I think we lost a couple of guys that I’d have liked to see us keep. I thought at the trade deadline, we tried to make a push and we do appreciate that the team wants us to get better. So I feel like maybe making the right choices in the offseason and picking up some pieces so maybe you don’t have to try to throw a Hail Mary at the deadline. You can maybe add some depth pieces, for example. But yeah, it’s exciting and I do think we have really good pieces here, but also I think it’s going to be a big offseason for us.
On knowing where the bar is: You try to learn from whatever you experience and obviously [Florida]... I’ve said it before, only one team has beaten them [in a series] in the last three seasons, so they’ve been a really good team for a long time now. Obviously they knocked us out twice in three years so yeah, that’s the standard in this league. That’s a really good team and we’ll try to get there. I’m confident we’ll be able to do that.
On if he’s more optimistic about the team’s direction now then maybe in previous seasons: Every year is a different story. I don’t want to compare them too much, but yeah, I do think we’re in a good spot as an organization. We have the tools to get better this offseason and I know the guys who are in that locker room are hard working guys and everyone is already thinking about how, as a player or as an individual, they can be better. Everyone’s trying to work as hard as they can to be a better person and to help the team win. I think we also have… I’m not too good with the numbers or anything, but everyone keeps saying we have a lot of cap space and we have assets, so hopefully we are able to take that next step in that department too.
On preparing for next season: A lot of games, but you definitely want to play these games. Obviously it’s a privilege to play a lot of hockey and meaningful hockey. Obviously even this year with the 4 Nations. Obviously the Olympics, you go overseas and stuff like that and it’s a little bit longer of an event, but I’m not really trying to think too much ahead. I know obviously a little bit now of what works for me and what type of stuff I need to work on in the summers. But you’re also constantly trying to find a thing or two to make you stronger or faster or more balanced or whatever it is. But we’re probably just going to go back for a week or two just to be back and change diapers and just be there for [my wife]. Obviously it’s awesome and the best thing in the world to take care of your own child. So excited about that, but obviously the work definitely doesn’t stop in terms of working on my craft and trying to figure out how to get better. That’s always going to be there.
'We’re In A Good Spot As An Organization': Sebastian Aho 2024-25 Exit Interview
The Carolina Hurricanes' 2024-25 season <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/shortUrl/CJgdN4l">came to a close earlier this week</a> as the team lost in five games to the Florida Panthers in the Eastern Conference Final.
Jaccob Slavin
On still being unable to get over the hump: It's frustrating. We have all the pieces in the room. These meetings at the end are never fun. It's always a bummer to go through them if you're not going out on top. Especially with the way the last series went. I think we kind of shot ourselves in the foot the first three games and once you go down 3-0 to a team like that, you’ve dug yourself a pretty deep hole that’s hard to climb out of. I wish we gave ourselves a chance from the beginning, but I don’t think we did with the way we played the first three games. That’s something I think we look back on as a group and wish it was different.
On if there’s enough appreciation for what the team has accomplished and the consistency they’ve built: I think so. I know I appreciate it. All the work that’s been done to turn this organization around and Roddy is right there at the helm of that. He’s been tremendous for this organization in turning it around, but you look at what’s been accomplished over the past seven years that we have made the playoffs consecutively, but I think at the same time, that just raises the standard for how we want to be as a team and where we want to be as an organization. So anything short of winning is going to feel like a defeat. I think the standard is there as a team, as an organization that we want to be on top.
On Brent Burns: I mean, Marty and I can both sit up here and say that he’s one of a kind. Off the ice, he’s just a joy to be around, honestly. I think that’s the word that comes to mind. Any day, that guy is going to bring a smile to your face with how he carries himself, how he treats everybody. His love for the game is… I don’t know if I’ve ever seen anything like it. His dedication and how serious he takes the game. It’s incredible to see. I don’t think you’re 40 years old and still playing in the league at that level without the work he’s put in and continues to put in. Being able to witness that for three years has been awesome and just being able to learn from him and the way he approaches the game is awesome as well. On the ice, he’s just a steady force back there and you know when he has the puck, it’s going toward the net. It’s fun to play with him. He’s always talking on the ice, always wanting to get better. Even at his age, he’s still just always trying to find ways to get better. Just being able to take those little things and learn from him in that way is huge. He’s been a really fun D partner to have over the past few years and hopefully we’ll see what the future holds for him.
On if he will have to prepare any differently knowing the Olympics will be a part of next season: I don’t know if I’ve given it much thought. I guess just taking the rest now while I can. Just regroup, build the muscle back, build everything back that you lost throughout the season. But for right now, it’s just rest. Moving forward, we’ll see what happens.
'I Wish We Gave Ourselves A Chance': Jaccob Slavin 2024-25 Exit Interview
The Carolina Hurricanes' 2024-25 season <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/shortUrl/CJgdN4l">came to a close earlier this week</a> as the team lost in five games to the Florida Panthers in the Eastern Conference Final.
Jordan Martinook
On if he was healthy this postseason: I was good. Obviously everybody is playing with stuff. You’ve got bruises and nicks, but I was good.
On if this felt like his best season and how he judges that: I think every year you’re trying to get better. I think looking over the last three, four years, I’ve felt like I’ve been… obviously the older you get, usually it goes the other way, but I’ve felt like I’ve kind of maybe found a little Benjamin Button type thing and I’m getting better as I get older. Hopefully that continues. But yeah. I don’t know if it’s my best season, but obviously points-wise it was, but just trying to get better. Once you’re sitting here after a loss, you don’t really think about personal stuff too much. Yeah… I don’t know. Sorry.
On if this season surprised him at all given what they lost and what they were still able to do: I would have to say yes because just knowing we lost some pretty core pieces, some guys who have been here a long time and were unbelievable players for us. Obviously you’re trying to replace them with other guys and maybe some people that we didn’t know much about at the time, but then to see the way we started the season, we went on that big run to start the season. You grow a bond when you start winning and start off that way. I felt like it was just a great group of guys that really just gelled together. Maybe we weren’t supposed to be as good as we ended up being, but I think it just shows how much work went into it and how much people really cared about this team.
On if he thinks next year can be a big one for the organization given their cap space and available assets: That’s probably a question for somebody a little higher up than us, but obviously, as players, you want to have the best team that you can. So if that means they go out and get somebody in free agency or however that may be, if it improves our team, then we’re going to sit here in September and be excited about it. You want to play with good players and you want to give yourselves the best chance to win. I firmly believe they’re going to do everything they can to do that.
On what he’s seen from the growth of the team’s young core pieces: Obviously those guys are kind of the driving force of this team. [Sebastian Aho], I’ve been lucky enough to play with him my whole time here and to see him… I feel like you see him grow as a player, but he’s been like that ever since I’ve gotten here. He leads us in the way he plays. Obviously [Seth Jarvis] has just taken steps every year. [Andrei Svechnikov], I felt like this was a big playoffs for him to get his confidence back. Being able to score, you definitely could see it in his play. It changes him when he’s scoring. Then obviously bringing in guys like [Logan Stankoven], who’s just going to be a heck of a player, and just watching him… yeah, there’s a lot of young pieces here that have set this organization up for success for a long time.
On if he thinks the team can win with its style of play: Everybody talks about it like it’s our style, but you look at the way Florida plays, we play very similar to them. So if they can win playing that way, then I think we can win playing that way. If you go back and watch those games, the whole point of their play is to get the puck out of their end, get it into your end, forecheck you and hope that you turn it over. It’s basically the same thing that every team in the league is trying to do. If it’s our style and they want to call it our style, then sure, great. Because you can win with it, because most teams are doing it. Sorry. Get a little rattled.
[Jaccob Slavin]: I’d say the same exact thing. You don’t see them turning the puck over in the neutral zone, you don’t see them trying to make plays through the neutral zone or at the blueline. Everything is out and everything is in. That’s exactly what we try to emphasize as well.
On if the loss to Florida creates more clarity in what this team is missing: Obviously you look back at the whole series and the games and you try to think, ‘Okay. What could we have done differently here, what could we have done differently here?’ But we lost two of our top six D, which obviously, that hurts. [Jalen Chatfield] and [Sean Walker] are great players and those are huge holes to fill. When you’re relatively healthy all season and you don’t have to really see what it’s like without guys, then you really notice it when you’re in the Eastern Conference Final. But, yeah. It’s still pretty raw and I want to give you a better answer, but I probably have to go back and watch these games and see what we could have done differently and all that stuff. Sorry.
'It Was Just A Great Group Of Guys': Jordan Martinook 2024-25 Exit Interview
The Carolina Hurricanes' 2024-25 season <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/shortUrl/CJgdN4l">came to a close earlier this week</a> as the team lost in five games to the Florida Panthers in the Eastern Conference Final.
2024-25 Exit Interviews
Jordan Staal
Sebastian Aho
Jaccob Slavin
Jordan Martinook
Jalen Chatfield
Sean Walker
Jesperi Kotkaniemi
Frederik Andersen
Seth Jarvis
Andrei Svechnikov
Alexander Nikishin
Scott Morrow
Logan Stankoven
Eric Robinson
Dmitry Orlov
Brent Burns
Rod Brind'Amour and Eric Tulsky
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