2025 Offseason in Review: Carolina Hurricanes
After falling in the Eastern Conference final for the second time in three years, the Carolina Hurricanes made big splashes in an effort to finally get over the hump.
Who’s Back: Logan Stankoven (8x$6m starting ‘26-27), Jackson Blake (8x$5.12m starting ‘26-27), Eric Robinson (4x$1.7m), Frederik Andersen (1x$2.75m), Taylor Hall (3x$3.17m), Tyson Jost (1x$775k)
Who’s New: K’Andre Miller (Acquired via trade from NYR; signed 8x$7.5m), Nikolaj Ehlers (6x$8.5m), Mike Reilly (1x$1.1m)
Who’s Gone: Brent Burns, Dmitry Orlov, Jack Roslovic, Jesper Fast, Spencer Martin, Scott Morrow
Cap Space (per PuckPedia): $10.6 million
The Carolina Hurricanes have been on the doorstep of the Stanley Cup Final for the better half of a decade and they made the moves that could potentially push them over the edge this offseason.
Carolina general manager Eric Tulsky bounced back from last season’s Mikko Rantanen saga in a big way, locking up former Winnipeg star Nikolaj Ehlers to a six-year deal to bolster up the forward core. He also inked the headliner of the Rantanen trade — Logan Stankoven — to an eight-year deal that will keep him around until 2034.
Those two moves give the Hurricanes the most loaded Top 6 they’ve had in their decade-long window of competition while they made the moves necessary to retain defense and depth as strengths.
It has seemed like the Hurricanes were an elite scorer away from making it over the hump for years and Ehlers could potentially be the answer.
The 29-year-old winger has scored at least 20 goals in eight out of the 10 seasons he played with the Jets. He scored 24 goals and 63 points in 69 games last season, adding five goals and seven points in eight games in the postseason.
His dynamic and versatile offensive skillset breathes some extra life into a Hurricanes team known for its suffocating defense and heavy forecheck.
Jackson Blake and Taylor Hall each signed extensions this past year to give the Hurricanes even more solid options up front for the foreseeable future. No matter what the combinations end up being, Carolina will still be able to reliably roll all four lines as coach Rod Brind’Amour has enjoyed doing for years.
The Hurricanes’ blue-line will look a bit different this season, with Dmitry Orlov and Brent Burns each inking deals elsewhere, but Tulsky patched up the holes enough to keep it one of the league’s best.
Carolina shipped off a haul consisting of Scott Morrow, and a first- and second-round pick to New York for K’Andre Miller to fill Orlov’s spot in the Top 4 while rookie Alexander Nikishin will get a chance to make an impact on the right side.
They will be leaning on Jalen Chatfield a bit more in a potential first-pairing role, but he has shown that he is capable of playing big minutes and in pivotal moments during their past few playoff runs.
Their defense is not as complete as it was in years past, sure, but when accounting for the changes made to the forward group, the Hurricanes are potentially one of the league’s most complete teams headed into the 2025-26 season.
Projected 2025-26 Ceiling: Metropolitan Division Champions, Stanley Cup Champions
Projected 2025-26 Floor: Wild card, second-round exit
Projected Opening Night Lineup:
Nikolaj Ehlers — Sebastian Aho — Seth Jarvis
Andrei Svechnikov — Jesperi Kotkaniemi — Logan Stankoven
Taylor Hall — Jordan Staal — Jackson Blake
Jordan Martinook — Mark Jankowski — Eric Robinson
Jaccob Slavin — Jalen Chatfield
K’Andre Miller — Sean Walker
Shayne Gostisbehere — Alexander Nikishin
Frederik Andersen
Pyotr Kochetkov
They have the same problems as they did last year, they still have no second line center, and they're primarily a team of really good, but not great, well coached, guys. they still lack a true playmaker, a guy that can make something out of nothing. I've always thought of Aho as sort of a "1b" center and not necessarily a true elite 1C. He'll good, real good, but not great. In order to have sustained success in the playoffs you have to be strong down the middle, they are not.