Trying to forecast an NHL season is usually a losing bet, but that won’t stop the conversation from rolling on once the Carolina Hurricanes drop the puck Tuesday. If you’re looking for a few things that could break right for them by the end of the year, there’s a pretty clear case for a repeat run.
Start with the scoring. Carolina has a reputation built on structure and defense, but the offense was no joke a season ago.
The Hurricanes finished with the second-best attack in the league, seven goals behind the Colorado Avalanche, and only Seth Jarvis and Andrei Svechnikov reached 30 goals. Jarvis led the team for the second straight season, and the franchise hasn’t had three 30-goal scorers in the same year since 2006-07.
They came close last season, with Sebastian Aho finishing three goals short. Jarvis being on the shelf to start makes it a little trickier, but Aho, Svechnikov, Jackson Blake, and Nikolaj Ehlers all have the kind of finishing ability that makes this goal very much in play.
The goaltending numbers also feel due for a rebound. Carolina has been the league’s best shot suppression team for years, leading the NHL in shots allowed in each of the last five seasons.
They were one of only two teams to allow fewer than 2,000 shots last year, along with the Vegas Golden Knights. Under Rod Brind’Amour, they’ve stayed in the Top 10 in both shots against and goals against every season.
But the save percentage has drifted downward, and the most recent numbers tell the story: 2024-25 at .887 and 2025-26 at .880, the latter ranking 26th. Brandon Bussi, Pyotr Kochetkov, and whoever else gets called on will be asked to pull that back up, and there’s reason to think they can.
Special teams should be a strength again, too. Tripp Tracy has often pointed out that a good rule of thumb is for a team’s power play and penalty kill percentages to combine to more than 100 percent over a season.
It’s not a perfect measure, but it matters. Carolina finished fifth in 2025-26 with a combined mark above 105 percent, sitting a little more than three percent behind Dallas for the top spot.
The power play ranked fourth, while the penalty kill slipped outside the Top 10. If the kill gets back on track while the power play stays dangerous, the Hurricanes have a real shot to finish first in that category.
The division outlook is just as favorable. Carolina won the Metropolitan Division last season by 15 points over the Pittsburgh Penguins, the biggest margin among the four division winners.
A repeat title should be well within reach, even with other teams trying to close the gap. The separation may not be as wide this time, but the Hurricanes still look like the class of the Metro.
If they can wrap up the division by early April, that would give them the kind of breathing room every contender wants before the playoffs begin.
And then there’s the bigger finish. Last season, Carolina finally changed the postseason script and won the Stanley Cup, after years of coming up short in the second round or falling flat in the Eastern Conference Finals.
The cleanest version of this prediction is obvious: a rematch with the Florida Panthers for the Prince of Wales Trophy, and this time the Hurricanes get the upper hand. But the opponent matters less than the ending.
If Carolina is taking that celebratory photo again and heading back to the Stanley Cup Final, that’s the outcome they’re chasing.
In Other News...
Nikishin Situation Is Turning Into A Serious Hurricanes Standoff
Alexander Nikishins future has become one of the more intriguing roster matters hanging over Carolina this summer. The 21-year-old defenseman remains an unsigned restricted free agent, and his name has surfaced in trade conversations with multiple NHL teams, including the Rangers, Blues and Predators. He also recently changed agents to Paul Theofanous, a sign the situation is still very much in motion as the Hurricanes weigh what to do next.
What makes this especially delicate for Carolina is the level of interest it appears to be drawing and the price attached to it. The Hurricanes are not treating Nikishin like a movable depth piece, which helps explain why the talks have been so slow to move anywhere meaningful. With a pending trade request still in place and no resolution yet on the contract side, this has turned into the kind of standoff that can linger until one side finally gets close enough to its number to blink. [Read more 🡒]
Hurricanes Trade Twist Could Still Open The Door To A Bigger Upgrade
The ripple effects of Carolinas search for upgrades may not be done yet, even after the clubs trade discussions with the Rangers over Alexander Nikishin came apart. For a team still looking to position itself for the long season ahead, that kind of near-miss can matter as much as any completed move, especially when the market around the league remains active and other contenders are still weighing their own changes before opening night.
Montreal is among the teams being linked to pre-opener trade possibilities, with Columbus forward Kirill Marchenko mentioned as a target, while Edmonton is also canvassing the market for a right-shot center and has been connected to Kirby Dach and Shane Wright. For Carolina, the bigger question is whether the Nikishin talks were a one-off detour or a sign the Hurricanes are still circling a larger swing that could reshape their blue line if the right opportunity surfaces. [Read more 🡒]
Hurricanes Just Reopened A Frustrating Bradly Nadeau Debate
The Hurricanes opened the season by trimming their roster and sending Bradly Nadeau back to the Chicago Wolves, a move that instantly revived one of the clubs more frustrating questions about the 21-year-old forward. Nadeau has already gotten a taste of the NHL and has shown enough offense in the AHL to make this a real developmental conversation, not just a routine paper move.
What makes the decision harder to ignore is the timing. Carolina had an opening on the NHL side because of Seth Jarvis offseason shoulder surgery, yet the team still chose to start Nadeau in the minors. For a prospect who has already flashed scoring ability at both levels, the assignment raises the same issue all over again: whether the Hurricanes are maximizing his growth by keeping him in Chicago, or leaving a ready-looking winger waiting for another chance. [Read more 🡒]