Carolina Hurricanes fans will have a new way to catch 10 home games next season, with WRAL and FOX 50 set to carry the broadcasts free of charge during the 2026-27 campaign.
The first one comes Oct. 2 against the Washington Capitals, part of the new “Saturday Night Hockey on WRAL” package. That game will air at 7 p.m. on WRAL, with coverage beginning Friday at 7 p.m.
The announcement comes as the Hurricanes open the season Tuesday at home against the Florida Panthers, kicking off their chase for a second straight Stanley Cup.
“We are thrilled to bring more of that excitement directly into homes across our region,” said Heather Gray, vice president and general manager of WRAL and FOX 50. “Saturday nights are made for big, live sports and we want this to become a new tradition for Caniacs.”
This season, the Hurricanes are handling their own game production through the new Hurricanes Hockey Network, with Mike Maniscalco on play-by-play and Tripp Tracy as analyst. WRAL and FOX 50 will air that network feed. The team and stations have already worked together on select games over the last two seasons, usually around holidays.
“We are grateful to continue our partnership with WRAL and start what we hope will be a new tradition,” said Mike Sundheim, the Hurricanes’ vice president of communications. “Saturday night Hurricanes games at Lenovo Center have always been special, and this package brings that feeling into the living rooms of even more fans.”
The full slate on WRAL or FOX 50 includes:
Friday, October 2 - Washington Capitals vs. Carolina Hurricanes, 7 p.m. on WRAL
Saturday, December 5 - Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Carolina Hurricanes, 7 p.m.
Saturday, December 26 - Pittsburgh Penguins vs. Carolina Hurricanes, 7 p.m.
Saturday, January 2 - Nashville Predators vs. Carolina Hurricanes, 7 p.m.
Saturday, January 23 - Anaheim Ducks vs. Carolina Hurricanes, 7 p.m.
Saturday, January 30 - Los Angeles Kings vs. Carolina Hurricanes, 7 p.m.
Saturday, February 13 - Buffalo Sabres vs. Carolina Hurricanes, 7 p.m.
Saturday, February 27 - Tampa Bay Lightning vs. Carolina Hurricanes, 7 p.m.
Saturday, March 13 - New Jersey Devils vs. Carolina Hurricanes, 7 p.m.
Saturday, April 3 - New Jersey Devils vs. Carolina Hurricanes, 5 p.m.
Station assignments among WRAL, FOX 50 and WNGT will be announced once they are finalized.
In Other News...
Hurricanes Still Need Clarity On One Roster Situation At Camp
Training camps are moving along, but Carolina still has a notable loose end on its blue line as the Hurricanes sort through their early roster picture. Around the league, a few prominent restricted free agents are lingering without deals, with Adam Fantilli and Columbus still working toward a contract and Simon Edvinsson taking part in Detroits camp while negotiations continue.
For Carolina, the more immediate question centers on Alexander Nikishin, whose status has been unsettled since an offseason trade request. The Hurricanes have opened camp without him, leaving another layer of uncertainty for a team that would rather have clarity now than let a key roster situation drift deeper into the season planning process. [Read more 🡒]
Hurricanes Fans Have A New Reason To Revisit A Summer What-If
A familiar name has resurfaced in the AHL, and it offers Hurricanes fans a small reminder of the kind of summer market Carolina was keeping tabs on. Veteran winger Anderson has signed a professional tryout with Hershey and is on the Bears training camp roster, a modest move on paper but one that can still stir up old conversations for a team that was weighing plenty of options before the season got rolling.
For Carolina, the interest was never just about adding another body. The Hurricanes were among the teams that looked into Alex Formenton, a player whose path and fit drew attention around the league before he landed elsewhere, and the ripple effect of those decisions is still easy to see now that he is tied to another organizations plans. His eventual choice left Carolina to look back at a summer what-if, the sort of roster subplot that can linger when a team is always searching for the right blend of speed, age and upside. [Read more 🡒]
Hurricanes Just Won It All But The Path Back Looks Tougher
The celebration in Carolina is still fresh after the Hurricanes captured their first Stanley Cup since 2006, finishing off the Vegas Golden Knights in six games. It was the kind of spring run that can change a franchises mood in a hurry, especially with Vegas having just swept Colorado in the Western Conference Finals and looked like the team most likely to keep rolling before the Final.
Still, the road back to another parade already looks crowded, with early offseason movement around the league serving as a reminder that nothing stays still for long. Anaheims decisions around Leo Carlsson and Mason McTavish reshaped one Pacific Division picture, Buffalo finally ended its 14-year playoff drought while also sending Alex Tuch to Washington, and the Hurricanes now face the harder task that comes after the breakthrough: proving the title was the start of something, not the finish. [Read more 🡒]