The Carolina Hurricanes have not made it past the Eastern Conference Final since 2006, but twenty years later, this could be the season the Canes make it over the hump after significant improvements during the offseason.
Carolina employs a well-rounded roster that has only gotten better with the summer's biggest free agent signing in Nikolaj Ehlers, plus some moves that bolster the blueline as well as the depth scoring up front. It's shaping up to be another competitive season in Raleigh.
Nikolaj Ehlers headlines offseason additions
Ehlers is the talk of the town for Carolina entering the 2025-26 NHL season, and for good reason. The 29-year-old fills an important need for the Hurricanes, which is more offense from the wingers in the top six. Goal scoring from the team's star forwards dried up when it came to the Eastern Conference Final against the Florida Panthers and Ehlers helps to directly address that, having scored five goals in eight playoff games this year.
The Danish winger is a five-on-five specialist that can fit into the Canes' gameplan in a big way. He put up fantastic possession numbers with the Winnipeg Jets, recording a +16 goal differential and +64 shot differential on the ice at five-on-five, and that will serve to strengthen Carolina's already-dominant even strength play. But Ehlers is equally proficient with the man advantage, an area that the team lacked during the regular season at 25th in the league. His ability to read plays as they develop is extremely strong, and Ehlers knows how to find the open areas whether he's finishing plays himself or crafting accurate passes for his linemates.
Whether Ehlers plays on the first or second line is still yet to be seen, and really depends on whether guys like Andrei Svechnikov and Jackson Blake can play up to the expectations set on them. Svechnikov regressed during the past season, while Blake is still finding his footing at age 22. But Ehlers is capable of contributing in any amount of ice time and will no doubt keep the Canes operating at a high level.
The other major improvement was the acquisition of defenseman K'Andre Miller from the New York Rangers in exchange for a handful of draft picks and defender Scott Morrow. Miller replaces both Brent Burns and Dmitry Orlov on the blue line as a younger, faster skater with significantly better puck movement skills than either of the D-men who departed from Carolina this summer. At age 25, he brings a level of grit and toughness coupled with keen offensive senses that makes him a tremendous top-pairing option alongside Jaccob Slavin.
Aside from Burns and Orlov, who served in bottom four roles, the Hurricanes are in limbo with forward Jack Roslovic. The 28-year-old is an unrestricted free agent and has still not signed with any team as we approach the six-week mark since free agency began. Roslovic is more than likely not returning to the Canes, which leaves another hole in terms of middle-six scoring.
"If there's something out there that can make us better, we're going to try to figure out how to get it. The additions were the best we could do. We just want to have a chance. I feel like we do."Hurricanes coach Rod Brind'Amour
The Hurricanes did face a handful of subtractions from the roster, but the new faces on the team make for an optimistic outlook headed into the upcoming campaign.
Carolina is already a team that is built for efficiency from top to bottom and, had they not run into the powerhouse Panthers, had a very realistic chance at competing for the Stanley Cup. That chance is still there in 2025-26 but there are some questions that still need addressing.
The Hurricanes now have a hole in the second line center position that still needs to be filled, and with over $10 million in cap space, there is the opportunity to figure that out on the fly when the season begins. If the team can find another skater down the middle, the roster is absolutely optimized for yet another deep playoff run.