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Shayne Gostisbehere, Carolina Hurricanes (Amy Irvin / The Hockey Writers)

Hurricanes’ Defense Being Unnecessarily Questioned by NHL World

Originally posted on The Hockey Writers | By Zach Martin | Last updated Aug 5, 2025 10:55 AM ET

It seems the NHL world is once again questioning the Carolina Hurricanes’ approach going into a season, one offseason removed from being asked to make the playoffs. Last summer, the Hurricanes saw six players leave for free agency and were tabbed as a team to miss the playoffs, only for them to make the Eastern Conference Final. Now, it seems that their defense is being questioned going into the 2025-26 season. Frankly, it’s unwarranted since it has been the team’s bread and butter, their identity, in the Rod Brind’Amour era. Furthermore, when the defense has been top five at 5v5 and the penalty kill, there should be no questions about it, especially when assistant coach Tim Gleason has that group dialed in. That said, it’s time to put some respect on the name of the Hurricanes’ defense.

Put Some Respect on the Defense

NHL.com recently released its Super 16 Power Rankings on July 30, before the calendar flipped over to August. The Hurricanes were ranked fifth by the NHL.com writers, who ranked teams individually, and then points were given out for a final tally. Carolina came out with 148 points, one ahead of the Colorado Avalanche, and five behind the Edmonton Oilers. What drew the attention was the reasoning about the Hurricanes from staff writer Paul Strizhevsky, “However, the defense looks potentially vulnerable following the departures of Brent Burns, Dmitry Orlov, and Scott Morrow. K’Andre Miller is their only significant addition to date. Carolina’s well-established identity under coach Rod Brind’Amour should comfortably ensure a playoff berth, but the emergence or acquisition of another top-four defenseman will be needed for a Stanley Cup run.”

Adding Morrow to the equation doesn’t make the argument stick when he only played in 14 regular-season games for the Hurricanes in 2024-25. Furthermore, he played in five of the team’s 15 playoff games because of injuries to Jalen Chatfield and Sean Walker. Morrow is a good hockey player, but saying the defense is potentially vulnerable without him doesn’t hit the mark. Furthermore, Burns had six goals and 29 points in 82 games last season. He had surgery before the season started, which saw his game take a step back, plus he is 40 years old. Father Time gets everyone, and Burns was asked to do a lot more than in previous seasons with the Hurricanes. The 2024-25 season was Burns’ worst statistical year for the Hurricanes; he will be missed, but unless he played a smaller role, moving on from him made sense.

Orlov was okay for the Hurricanes, but at the price tag that now went to Miller, moving on from him made sense as well. The Hurricanes got younger, faster, and more offensive upside with Miller, along with Alexander Nikishin, putting them in a better spot for 2025-26. Thomas Hickey of NHL Network and New York Islanders coverage for MSGSN released his top five defenses in the NHL currently, and left off the Hurricanes. He had the Avalanche, Florida Panthers, Dallas Stars, Washington Capitals, and the Montreal Canadiens in his top five. The only team that made the most moves on that list on defense was the Canadiens. The Avalanche signed Burns, the Panthers signed Jeff Petry, and the Stars added no one, along with the Capitals.

The Stars’ defense was questioned last season, and they still have question marks in that department. The same goes for the Capitals, who, outside of Jakob Chychrun and John Carlson, are okay, but it doesn’t equate to a top five defense. Even with the Hurricanes not keeping Burns and Orlov, they still have Jaccob Slavin, who’s the best defensive defenseman in the NHL. Furthermore, Chatfield, Walker, and Gostisbehere are proven top-four defensemen in the league, giving the Hurricanes at least five players who could be in the top two defensive pairings across the NHL. Despite Nikishin playing in only a few playoff games and no regular season games, he is still considered one of the biggest prospects/newcomers to come into the league for next season.

The Defense Is More Than Alright

The Hurricanes will have a top-five defense once again, and questioning them is unnecessary, along with not giving them the credit they deserve for what they have accomplished as a unit over the last few seasons. They got younger and quicker in the upgrade to Miller and Nikishin from Burns and Orlov. The Hurricanes’ defense is more than fine and should be considered one of the best in the NHL for 2025-26.