RALEIGH, N.C. - The Carolina Hurricanes may be done celebrating their Stanley Cup run, but nobody around the league is done treating them like the team to beat.
That’s the reality for a roster that raised the Cup in June, enjoyed the summer and capped the whole thing with a banner before opening night. Carolina has tried to move on from the championship as quickly as possible. The rest of the NHL isn’t giving them that option.
Every rink they visit this season figures to come with extra noise, extra attention and an opponent eager to take a shot at the defending champs. Even the media routine has changed for Rod Brind’Amour, who will keep hearing the same questions from other cities. And on the ice, the message is obvious: beating the Stanley Cup winners matters.
Brandon Bussi said the Canes are ready for that reality after their opening night battle against Florida.
"I think we're going to see every team's best this year, right? We earned that right.
So, we've got to get used to it," Brandon Bussi told reporters following the team's opening night battle against Florida. "But I'm confident in our group."
The early signs already point in that direction. Carolina’s close games with the Panthers, Flyers, and Canadiens have shown that no one is taking them lightly.
There’s no mystery to why. The Hurricanes are rolling out essentially the same roster and the same staff, with the plan to run it back.
Logan Stankoven put it plainly: "This is the team we won with," Logan Stankoven said with a quiet confidence. "We're the best team in the world for a reason."
That confidence is backed by more than one championship parade. Carolina has been one of the league’s most consistent contenders for more than five seasons, leading the NHL in combined regular-season and playoff wins over that span with 306. The identity has been stable under Brind’Amour, and the opposition knows exactly what’s coming.
"Everyone has known how we play for years now. Really, that hasn't changed that much. Everyone has kind of already expected what we're going to bring," Sebastian Aho explained.
For the Hurricanes, that means leaning into the same formula that has carried them to the top: forecheck hard, control the puck, and keep chances against to a minimum. It also means accepting that every opponent will be bringing its sharpest version.
"You've got to always play with the mindset that the other team is bringing their best," Aho continued. "You're the Stanley Cup Champion. You know from past years when you play that year's Stanley Cup Champion that you know you definitely want to beat them."
Jordan Martinook said that kind of challenge fits the team’s competitive edge.
"When we've played (Stanley Cup-winning) teams in the past, you want to prove yourself," Jordan Martinook shared. "The most recent Cup champion is usually pretty much the standard of what you want to beat. I'm assuming most teams are going to be giving us their best, but I think that can bring the best out of our team as well."
Martinook also pointed to Carolina’s comfort in games that get messy and physical, saying the club embraces that stress-game style instead of running from it.
"We can drag some teams into some tough places, and I think it could be a big confidence booster for our group if teams are throwing their knockout punch at us and we can kind of counter it," Martinook continued. "As a competitor and as a hockey player, you want teams' best.
You don't want anybody to take it easy on you. In the end, (facing their best) will help us in the long run."
The grind doesn’t stop with a few early tests. Carolina is strapped into an 84-game regular season, and the expectation is that there won’t be many easy nights along the way. Taylor Hall said that’s simply part of being the champion.
"Every team in the league is going to be ready for us. It's going to be a long year," Taylor Hall said.
"When you think about the respect that other teams have for us around the league, it's going to be hard games every night. But we're looking forward to that."
For Stankoven, the assignment is clear: keep the championship in the rearview, but never forget what it means for the present.
"It's a new year, and we've got to put that behind us and in the past. Every night we're going to expect the other team's best," Stankoven closed.
"We have a target on our back. That's just the way it's going to be all year, and we've got to step up to the plate."
In Other News...
Hurricanes Suddenly Face A Bigger Alexander Nikishin Decision
Alexander Nikishins situation has gone from a quiet summer subplot to a real Carolina Hurricanes roster issue, with the defenseman still unsigned for the 2026-27 season after asking for a trade earlier in the summer. His name has circulated widely around the league, and the interest makes sense for a player with his profile, especially with Carolina trying to sort out its blue line plans well beyond the immediate season.
What makes this even trickier for the Hurricanes is how much of the uncertainty now sits around his next contract as much as his future destination. Several teams have checked in, and a move looked close at one point before the talks stalled, leaving Carolina to weigh whether this becomes a long-term retention battle, a trade market reset, or something that drags on deeper into the year. [Read more 🡒]
Canes Got The Road Win But One Big Question Still Lingers
The Hurricanes left Montreal with a 6-4 road win, and for a team trying to settle in early this season, there was plenty to like about how it unfolded. Carolina fell behind first, then leaned on a balanced push from Taylor Hall, Sebastian Aho and Andrei Svechnikov to turn the game around, with the offense doing enough damage to erase the pressure that usually comes with chasing a lead on the road.
Brandon Bussi was in the middle of it all, and his night had the kind of arc that can matter beyond one box score. After a rough opening period, he steadied himself and picked up his first win of the season, giving the Hurricanes something more than just two points to carry forward. The result was encouraging, but the bigger question for Carolina remains how quickly the goaltending picture can settle down after a start like this. [Read more 🡒]
Canes Showed Something Important In Wild Road Win Over Canadiens
The Hurricanes left the Bell Centre with a win that said plenty about where their game is heading. Down early against the Canadiens, Carolina settled in and found its push in the second and third periods, turning a shaky start into a 6-4 road victory that looked much more controlled by the finish. Taylor Hall was a major part of that response, and Sebastian Aho was once again right in the middle of the offense.
For a team that has leaned on depth and pace to wear opponents down, this was the sort of night that fits the identity. Carolina did not just battle back, it kept adding pressure and goals after taking the first punch, which is often the difference on the road in a building like Montreal. The result was encouraging on its own, and the individual production from Hall and Aho gave it a little more weight, even if there was still plenty to clean up defensively. [Read more 🡒]