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Jordan Staal, Carolina Hurricanes (Jess Starr/The Hockey Writers)

Takeaways From Carolina Hurricanes’ End-of-Season Exit Interviews

Originally posted on The Hockey Writers | By Zach Martin | Last updated May 31, 2025 10:25 AM ET

Days like these are what fanbases hope to see in the middle of June. Regarding the Carolina Hurricanes, the exit interview day took place during the last week of May, following their Game 5 loss in the Eastern Conference Final against the Florida Panthers. The day consisted of some players meeting with the media at the Lenovo Center. The Hurricanes announced general manager Eric Tulsky and head coach Rod Brind’Amour will hold their press conference together on Tuesday, June 3. Before that, though, what were the main takeaways from the players’ interviews?

Job’s Not Done, But Proud of Journey

It’s a fair assumption that when asking a player about their thoughts on falling short of the ultimate goal of winning a Stanley Cup, most answers will be about not getting the job done and wishing things went differently. For the Hurricanes, they felt like they could have done more, but ultimately, there is a ton to be proud of for what they accomplished in the 2024-25 season. Entering the season, many believed that it was looking like a step-down type of season for the Hurricanes. Following the departures of Brady Skjei, Brett Pesce, Stefan Noesen, and others, it seemed the Hurricanes were either going to be a wildcard team or miss the playoffs entirely.

Even Brind’Amour felt a little apprehensive about how his team would perform following being eliminated on Wednesday night. He stated, “We’re this far, and all we’re hearing is negativity from everybody. When I walked in this summer, with the pieces that left this organization, I was like, ‘I don’t think we’re making the playoffs.’ I was that worried about it. Because it was such a mass exodus of good players in free agency. We were able to find good players to fill in, but I was like, ‘I don’t know if they’re that good.’ But they hung in there. I have nothing but pride for this group. Yeah, we didn’t love this series, but that’s the standard right there. You’re not giving Florida enough credit.”

The same sentiment about being proud of this team was echoed by Jordan Martinook when he and Jaccob Slavin started the interviews. Martinook stated, “I felt like it was just such 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.”

The way that the team was able to step up in a vast number of areas goes to show how much these players are bought into the system the Hurricanes run in Raleigh. Seth Jarvis had a career high in assists (35) after missing seven games due to re-aggravating his shoulder injury from the previous season. He even tied his career-high points total (67), which he set in 2023-24, playing in 81 games. Eric Robinson had a career year in all facets of his game (14 goals, 18 assists, and 32 points in 82 games). Across the board, the Hurricanes’ depth came up big when it was needed the most.

Slavin mentioned how the team wished things went differently earlier in the series against the Panthers, “I wish we gave ourselves a chance from the beginning, but I don’t think we did with the way we played in the first three games,” the trusty defenseman said. “[It’s] something I think we’ll look back on as a group and wish it was different.” It’s a fair assessment based on how, if they were able to play their system in Games 1, 2, and 3, this would be a different conversation and series. It will be a learning experience and will only make them better.

Captain Jordan Staal later in the day discussed how, as a team, they fell short of their overall goal, but that there were positives to reflect on following the 2024-25 season. “It’s been a little frustrating right now, just trying to unpack what happened in the last month or so and all season long. You want to be in these situations, you want to be in playoffs, you want to have a chance at all the things, it’s just not easy to win,” Staal said. “We’d love for it to be easy, but there’s opportunity to always get better. I think the group we have and how it played out this year, we have a great opportunity to take the next step. But yeah, it was a positive year, it didn’t end the way we wanted it to, but a lot of good stuff.”

That’s the one thing about the Stanley Cup Playoffs: only one team can win the Stanley Cup, and it’s why it’s one of the hardest trophies to win in sports. It’s a two-month-long grind following an 82-game regular season, where teams need to win 16 more games to lift the most coveted trophy in hockey. In retrospect, the Hurricanes exceeded many expectations by appearing in the Eastern Conference Final. For a team in a re-tool season, the Hurricanes players, organization, and fans should be proud of what this team was able to accomplish. Compared to previous seasons, this could be viewed as a Hurricanes team that managed to do more with a weaker lineup than they’ve had in previous seasons.

Furthermore, being able to pivot multiple times with the roster construction and still win nine playoff games speaks a lot to the character of this team. The Hurricanes traded away Martin Necas and Jack Drury for Mikko Rantanen and Taylor Hall back on Jan. 24 for a massive blockbuster move. Then, on March 7 for NHL Trade Deadline Day, they were able to flip Rantanen for Logan Stankoven and four draft picks, two of which were first-rounders. It speaks volumes about this team of managing to accomplish what they did with two huge trades, multiple new faces throughout the season, and still making their third Eastern Conference Final in the Brind’Amour era. The culture and the buy-in for the Hurricanes should be given lots of praise for the coaches, the front office, and the team leadership.

Future Looking Bright in the City of Oaks

While the 2024-25 season is over for the Hurricanes, there are a number of things to be excited about concerning the future of the franchise. One of those reasons is that there are many good, young players on the Hurricanes and within the organization. Sebastian Aho mentioned how the future looks bright with the young core they have, “There’s a lot to be excited for. We have young guys like Stanks and Nikishin, we already know what kind of player Jarvy is, he’s only gonna get better. Blakey… we’ve got good pieces on the team and obviously the core, or whatever you want to call it, we’ve been through quite a bit,” No. 20 said. “It’s an exciting offseason, we do have the cap space and we do have some assets, I guess time will tell how it’s all gonna play out.”

Upon glancing at the roster, a solid young core is evident that could last for a while in Raleigh. Stankoven (22), Jackson Blake (21), Jarvis (23), Andrei Svechnikov (25), Bradly Nadeau (20), Scott Morrow (22), and Alexander Nikishin (23) make up a good amount of youth and talent on the present plus the future of the Hurricanes. Aho is 27 and Jesperi Kotkaniemi is only 24. There is a world where the Hurricanes’ window stays open for at least five to eight seasons, maybe more. Furthermore, the Hurricanes have been able to find gems in the NHL Draft year in and year out. This is thanks to assistant general manager Darren Yorke and the amateur scouts, who are always stashing amazing young talent in the cupboards. All of this while drafting late in the first round every year.

Furthermore, what helps young talent become great for the Hurricanes is the culture and the buy-in from the young players. Being in Carolina helps these guys become NHLers with a tight-knit group that always has each other’s backs. Additionally, it makes living in the area more convenient. Stankoven expressed how being with the Hurricanes and in the area has made him feel at home, and he hopes to stay here for a long time. “[The Canes are] first class, for sure. I think I’ve enjoyed every minute of being here and the people within the organization and my teammates,” Stankoven answered. “I think I’ve been able to create a really good bond with, you know, everyone here, and I love the city and just kind of the vibes around it, so yeah, looking forward to hopefully spending a lot more time here.”

May 24, 2025; Sunrise, Florida, USA; Carolina Hurricanes center Logan Stankoven (22) and Carolina Hurricanes defenseman Scott Morrow (56) celebrate after scoring a goal during the second period in game three of the Eastern Conference Final of the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Amerant Bank Arena. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

Knowing that the Hurricanes have Stankoven in the lineup, which also features Jarvis, gives them some ease in the feeling of trusting these guys with the future of the team. What also helps is that Stankoven has more room to grow, especially from a team that can help develop youth and make them great players. Jarvis is a byproduct of how his game has only gotten better after four seasons in the NHL. Jarvis has managed back-to-back 67-point seasons while injured with a torn shoulder, and can still produce at a high level. He led the Hurricanes in goals (32) for the 2024-25 season.

What led to Jarvis scoring 32 goals? By always working on his craft. “There are still definitely levels I want to get in that department, but I think just figuring out how to score in this league is one of the biggest challenges. The league’s always changing, and goalies are getting better, so it’s always a work in progress, but I think figuring out different ways to score, scoring from different areas, and just overall expanding my game offensively that way has been something that I’ve put a lot of focus into. I’m glad I’m starting to see the benefits of it.”

Safe to say, the benefits are paying off for the 23-year-old from Winnipeg, Manitoba, after playing for Team Canada in the 4 Nations Face-Off and leading the Hurricanes in goals and shorthanded goals (five) in the regular season. Furthermore, he even led the team in assists (10) and points (16) in the playoffs. The 2024-25 season was a sensational one for the guy fans call “Jarvy.”

Officially in Offseason Mode

Overall, there was a ton more the team wanted to do, but they can find solace in knowing that they made more great memories for the fanbase while exceeding expectations. While they did not meet their ultimate goal, the 2024-25 season can serve as a stepping stone to a much more impactful season in 2025-26. The Hurricanes will have $28.4 million in cap space entering the offseason, along with six draft picks in the 2025 NHL Draft. They will pick 29th in the first round of the upcoming draft that will be held remotely in Los Angeles, CA. It’ll be interesting to see what they will do. Also, there will be questions about what they will do during the free agency period and the re-sign phase, with a ton of high-end talent being unrestricted free agents. While one season is over, another season is just beginning: the offseason.