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Blue Jackets Are Starting to Make Progress Against the Hurricanes
May 26, 2025; Sunrise, Florida, USA; Carolina Hurricanes center Logan Stankoven (22) celebrates after scoring a goal during the second period against the Florida Panthers in game four of the Eastern Conference Final of the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Amerant Bank Arena. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

We’re now 10 days into 2025 Free Agency around the NHL. Most of the action around the league has quieted down as most everyone is getting into full summer and offseason mode.

There will still be plenty of news to go around. Signings and some trades will take place. But most of the huge news will take a back seat until September when things will start to get ramped up for the start of the new season.

For us, that means it’s time for another Columbus Blue Jackets’ Summer Series. Given how close the team came to the playoffs last season, we’re going to spend the months of July and August comparing the Blue Jackets to the rest of the Eastern Conference.

We’ll consider a bevy of questions along the way. What are the Blue Jackets better at compared to the team in question? What areas do they need the most improvement in? What will it take to close the gap?

To kick things off this summer, we will compare the Blue Jackets to the Carolina Hurricanes. As you will see, progress in catching up to this perennial powerhouse is being made.

Carolina Hurricanes

The Hurricanes finished second in the Metropolitan Division in 2024-25 with 99 points. With the Washington Capitals running away with the division, the Hurricanes were able to mostly cruise to their second-place finish. This earned them home ice advantage in the first round.

The Hurricanes took care of business against the New Jersey Devils knocking them out in five games in the opening round. Then against the Capitals, Carolina imposed their will winning in five games despite not having home-ice advantage.

Then it was time for the big test. Against the defending Stanley Cup Champion Florida Panthers, the Hurricanes got taught a major lesson. They were outscored by the Panthers 16-4 in going down 3-0 in the series.

Thanks to a 3-0 shutout in Game 4, the series was extended to five games before the Panthers drove the final nail in the Hurricanes’ coffin. Florida won Game 5 in Raleigh 5-3 to send them to the Final.

For the Hurricanes, it was another season of making a run in the playoffs only to fall short in the Conference Finals. Meanwhile, their path to the playoffs was certainly one to remember. But now, they have to figure out the ultimate question. How can they finally break through and get to the Stanley Cup Final?

Overcoming Rantanen Saga

The Hurricanes made a major move in 2024-25 when they acquired Mikko Rantanen from the Colorado Avalanche. Martin Necas went the other way. You don’t see trades like this often between two contenders.

The Hurricanes had a clear message. They wanted everyone to know how serious they were to finally break through. They were willing to try big things in the process.

Unfortunately for them, Rantanen was not the fit they’d hope he’d be. Knowing another trade was needed, GM Eric Tulsky went to work.

The Hurricanes eventually traded Rantanen to the Dallas Stars. Logan Stankoven was the big piece that come to Carolina. While Stankoven is not Rantanen, he’s an important part of where the Hurricanes are going in future seasons.

Tulsky took a lot of heat when it was known that the fit for Rantanen wasn’t there. But instead of trying to prolong it, he immediately made a trade so that they got something useful out of it. It could have been much worse than landing Stankoven.

When discussing the Hurricanes, their approach is an important part of the discussion. They have shown they are not afraid of making the biggest moves if it means getting closer to winning a Stanley Cup.

How Do Blue Jackets Forwards Stack Up?

On the surface, the Hurricanes are a better and deeper team than the Blue Jackets. The standings bear that out. But a closer examination does reveal the gap between the Metropolitan rivals isn’t as far as some might think.

For example, without looking at the numbers, did you know the Blue Jackets scored more goals this season than the Hurricanes? The final total was 273-266. While that’s certainly not a wide gap, it puts into perspective just how good Columbus’ offense was.

The Blue Jackets didn’t lose any of their big offensive weapons. Their losses came in free agency lower in the lineup. That potentially sets them up well for another good season up front.

The Hurricanes added important players all over the ice. Most notably up front was the free-agent signing of Nikolaj Ehlers from the Winnipeg Jets. He slots perfectly into their top line alongside Sebastian Aho and Seth Jarvis. The Blue Jackets had one of the best top lines in the NHL in Dmitri Voronkov, Sean Monahan and Kirill Marchenko.

The Hurricanes’ second line is projected to consist of Andrei Svechnikov, Jesperi Kotkaniemi and Jackson Blake. The Blue Jackets are expected to run a second line centered by Adam Fantilli. From a center ice perspective, Columbus holds the edge. One must wonder if the Hurricanes will explore their options to upgrade at 2C.


Adam Fantilli scored the only goal of the shootout on Monday night. (Jess Starr/The Hockey Writers)

The Blue Jackets made a trade to improve their bottom six. They acquired Charlie Coyle and Miles Wood from the Avalanche while signing free-agent Isac Lundestrom to center their fourth line.

Compared to the Hurricanes, the Blue Jackets are in better position to compete although the third line of Jordan Martinook, Jordan Staal and Stankoven is a tough third line to compete against. Carolina can also run Taylor Hall on their fourth line if their top-three lines hold.

In all, comparing the forwards is actually very close. Both first lines are great in their own right. Fantilli gives the Blue Jackets an edge on the second line. The Hurricanes get the edge in the bottom six given what their third line brings. With Coyle in the fold, Columbus will get every opportunity to show even that gap isn’t too far off.

How Wide is Defensive Gap?

While the forwards are close, the defense and goaltending is not. This is clearly an edge to the Hurricanes. Last season, Carolina allowed 233 goals. Meanwhile, the Blue Jackets allowed 268. Just under half a goal per game over an 82-game season is a big deal.

If you want one of the biggest reasons why the Hurricanes finished 10 points higher in the standings, look no further than goals against.

The Hurricanes were able to improve their blue line by acquiring K’Andre Miller from the New York Rangers. He’ll slot in their top-four on the left side. Although they lost Brent Burns and Dmitri Orlov to free agency, this still appears to be an area of strength.

Jaccob Slavin is starting to get more deserved attention as a Norris candidate despite not having the offensive numbers. Alexander Nikishin has hype around him and could take the Hurricanes to a new level.

Then in goal, the Hurricanes will run Frederik Andersen and Pyotr Kochetkov back. Many fans outside Carolina might not be aware that both goaltenders finished with a save percentage under .900 last season. Andersen was .899 after returning from injury and Kochetkov was .898.

The Blue Jackets will run with Elvis Merzlikins (.892) and Jet Greaves (.938). The obvious question will be if Greaves can replicate any of last season’s success over a longer sample size. He’s not going to have a save percentage that high but can he at least turn in .910 or higher over more games earlier in the season?

The Blue Jackets also re-signed Dante Fabbro and Ivan Provorov. While the team is running it back mostly on the blue line, what doesn’t get enough attention was how much better they were when everyone was available. Injuries were a factor in some of the lopsided goals-against numbers. Having another year together should benefit them for chemistry purposes.

Still, the Hurricanes have the edge here for now. Slavin and Zach Werenski are a wash as two of the best defenders in the game. The Blue Jackets have to prove over a longer stretch that their blue line and goaltending are up to task. It’s the biggest question the team will face in 2025-26. The Hurricanes have demonstrated to this point they are better on defense and have the execution to back that up until otherwise proven.

Final Thoughts

I think the Blue Jackets and Hurricanes are a lot closer than many people think. The Hurricanes have the edge given what they’ve been able to accomplish while the Blue Jackets still have to break through the playoff line.

The gap between these two teams will shrink if the Blue Jackets show tangible evidence of improvement with their defense and goaltending. Their forwards are plenty good enough.

The Hurricanes are still among the best in the East. Their offseason moves proved that. Their formula for regular-season success works. Their job is to get that formula to work later in the playoffs.

The Blue Jackets also need to bridge the gap in becoming a destination for players. Players are coming in and staying now more than in the recent past. But compared to what the Hurricanes have going, there is still much work to be done. That’s the power of winning.

Teams are also not going to look past the Blue Jackets. How will they handle bigger games against true powerhouses? That stretch in March against Florida and Tampa Bay last season all but ruined their chances of making the playoffs.

The Hurricanes are the better team. The Blue Jackets have a lot to prove and questions to answer. But the gap isn’t as big as many will think it is. Remember each team won twice in their season series in 2024-25.

The Blue Jackets have made noticeable progress against the Hurricanes. Stay tuned for Part 2 of the summer series when we compare the Blue Jackets to the New Jersey Devils.

This article first appeared on The Hockey Writers and was syndicated with permission.

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