Last season: 52-23-7, lost in second round of playoffs.
COACH: Rod Brind'Amour (278-130-44 over six seasons with the Hurricanes).
SEASON OPENER: Oct. 11 vs. Tampa Bay.
DEPARTURES: F Jake Guentzel, D Brady Skjei, D Brett Pesce, F Teuvo Teravainen, F Stefan Noesen, F Evgeny Kuznetsov.
ADDITIONS: F Jack Roslovic, F William Carrier, D Shayne Ghostisbehere, D Sean Walker, F Tyson Jost, F Eric Robinson.
GOALIES: Pyotr Kochetkov (23-13-0-4, 2.33 goals-against average, 0.911 save percentage), Frederik Andersen (13-2-0-0, 1.84, 0.932).
BetMGM STANLEY CUP ODDS: 14-1.
The Hurricanes will have a different look after multiple changes for a team that has reached the playoffs six straight years, including thrice as a division champion. The losses of Skjei and Pesce represents mainstays on the blue line, while Guentzel was an all-in move before the trade deadline for a team considered a favorite to win the Stanley Cup. The good news is the Hurricanes reached a new deal with former captain Rod Brind'Amour to stay on as coach, and there's enough returning talent — forwards Sebastian Aho and Andrei Svechnikov, and defensemen Jaccob Slavin and Dmitry Orlov, among them — to keep Carolina in contention in the Metropolitan Division. The question is the ceiling for this retooled lineup, and it might take time for them to hit their stride.
The good: Aho is back as the leader in goals (36), assists (53) and points (89) to anchor a top line that has featured the physical Svechnikov, a former No. 2 overall pick who had 19 goals and 33 assists in his return from a serious knee injury that sidelined him late in the 2023 season. Captain Jordan Staal is back for veteran leadership on a team that thrives on puck possession. There's familiarity on defense, where linemates Slavin and Brent Burns, and Orlov and Jalen Chatfield give Carolina a strong top four.
The not-so-good: So much of Carolina's regular-season success has taken a backseat to the postseason ousters, which has included a power play that has gone from efficient to struggling at critical moments. Guentzel's addition was designed to fill Carolina's frequent need for a top-shelf scorer and finisher, but he's in Tampa Bay. And the 34-year-old Andersen (2.62 GAA, 0.895 save percentage over 10 playoff games) didn't provide lights-out play in net during a six-game loss to the Rangers.
Carolina has invested heavily in two young offensive forwards in Seth Jarvis and Martin Necas in this offseason. First Necas got a two-year deal in July to keep the talented goal scorer with the franchise in hopes he could return to his 2023 form (28 goals), while Jarvis — the team's 2020 first-round draft pick — got a long-term deal last month as a franchise cornerstone coming off a 33-goal season. Carolina needs both players to keep improving after losing players like Guentzel and Teravainen.
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