Eastern Conference off-season preview: Carolina Hurricanes

Of any team in the league, the Carolina Hurricanes had one of the biggest off-seasons.

Since defeating the Edmonton Oilers in the 2006 Stanley Cup, the Hurricanes just can’t seem to get over the hump. They’ve been to plenty of Conference Finals, including in the 2025 post-season, but they haven’t found any success when they play in the third round. Will their off-season moves help?

Let’s take a look at how their 2024-25 season went, what they did over the off-season, and how the team stacks up heading into the new season.

How the season went

After bowing out to the New York Rangers in the second round of the 2024 post-season, the Hurricanes’ window of contention remained open. It doesn’t happen often, but the Hurricanes went all in before the trade deadline, acquiring Mikko Rantanen from the Colorado Avalanche for Jack Drury and Martin Nečas.

However, there wasn’t much of a fit there, and instead of risking losing him in free agency, the Hurricanes traded Rantanen to the Dallas Stars in exchange for Logan Stankoven and picks. By the end of it all, the Hurricanes finished with a 47-30-5 record for 99 points, second most in the Metropolitan Division.

The New Jersey Devils were a fairly simple matchup, as they won the first two games in Raleigh by a score of 4-1 and 3-1. In Game 3, the Devils got their only playoff victory thanks to a double overtime goal, but the Hurricanes pushed them to the brink with a 5-2 victory in Game 4. In the decisive Game 5, Sebastian Aho scored early in the second overtime period to send the Hurricanes to the second round.

Like the Devils, the Washington Capitals were a pushover. In Game 1, Jaccob Slavin scored the overtime winner to put the Canes up 1-0 in the series, but the Capitals responded with a 3-1 victory. That was all the Capitals could muster, as the Hurricanes won the next three games to win in five games once again. So far, so good.

Since defeating the Oilers in the 2006 Stanley Cup Finals, the Hurricanes have been to four Eastern Conference Finals. In 2009, they were swept, in 2019, they were swept, in 2023, they were swept, albeit the series was a lot closer than the scoreboard suggests.

In the 2023 Eastern Conference Finals, the Hurricanes were swept by the Florida Panthers, and they had a chance to avenge their loss. The series wasn’t even close, as the Panthers won the first three games, outscoring the Canes 16-4. Finally, the Hurricanes won a game in the Eastern Conference Finals, snapping a 15-game losing streak in the Conference Finals with a 3-0 victory in Game 4. Their comeback bid was short-lived, as they fell 5-3 in the decisive Game 5.

Drafted players

Although they didn’t have a first-round pick, the Hurricanes made seven picks in the 2025 draft, thanks to three second-round picks. With the 41st overall pick, they selected Russian netminder Semyon Frolov. Eight picks later, they selected centre Charlie Cerrato, followed by centre Ivan Ryabkin with the 62nd overall pick.

The Hurricanes picked two Russian defencemen in the third round, picking Kurban Limatov 67th overall and Roman Bausov 87th overall. Their final two picks came in the last two rounds, using their sixth-round pick to draft Swedish forward Viggo Nordlund. In the seventh round, the Hurricanes selected Filip Ekberg.

Trades

It was a busy off-season for the Hurricanes. On Jun. 27, they sent the 29th overall pick to the Chicago Blackhawks for two seconds in the 2025 draft, as well as a fifth-round pick in the 2027 draft. They traded one of those seconds, the 34th overall pick, to the Montréal Canadiens for the 41st and 49th overall picks the following day. Moreover, they traded up, sending a 2025 fourth and 2026 third-round pick to the Los Angeles Kings for the 67th overall pick.

On Jun. 30, the Canes traded a 2026 seventh-round pick to the Canadiens for netminder Cayden Primeau. Their biggest move of the off-season came on Canada Day, as they sent Scott Morrow, a conditional 2026 first-round pick, and a 2026 second-round pick to the New York Rangers for K’Andre Miller.

Free agent signings

The same day as the Miller trade, the Canes extended Logan Stankoven to an eight-year deal worth $6 million annually. Miller was a sign-and-trade, as the left-shot defenceman earned an eight-year deal worth $7.5 million annually. Jason Blake also extended, agreeing to an eight-year deal worth a little under $5.12 million annually.

Their biggest move of the off-season saw them sign Nikolaj Ehlers to a six-year deal worth $8.5 million annually, a big help in the scoring department for the Hurricanes.

Departures

Although they brought in a whole lot of talent, there were some notable departures. Veteran Brent Burns signed a one-year deal with the Colorado Avalanche, while Dmitry Orlov signed a two-year contract with the San Jose Sharks.

Jack Roslovic remains a free agent, but it’s unlikely that the Canes will re-sign him, despite having about $10.65 million in cap space. They also traded Morrow to the Rangers for Miller.

What the team looks like heading into 2025-26

Except maybe the Panthers, the Hurricanes are the strongest team in the Eastern Conference. Down the middle, they have Sebastian Aho, Jesperi Kotkaniemi, Jordan Staal, and William Carrier, something they could upgrade down the line. Where the Canes excel is on the wing, as they have Ehlers, Seth Jarvis, Andrei Svechnikov, Blake, Taylor Hall, and Logan Stankoven in their top nine. Add in Eric Robinson and Jordan Martinook, and that’s a pretty strong forward core.

Their defence is solid as well. Slavin is one of the best defenders in the league, and they added talent in Miller. Russian Alexander Nikishin is a highly touted prospect, with Jalen Chatfield, Shayne Gostisbehere, and Sean Walker rounding out the rest of the defence.

In net, Frederik Andersen has missed most of the last two seasons, but had a strong showing in the post-season until the Hurricanes ran into the wall that is the Panthers. He’ll be backed up by Pyotr Kochetkov.