The Carolina Hurricanes are rolling through the early part of 2026-27, and October gave them plenty of candidates for the first “3 Stars of the Month” edition of the season. With the team sitting at 11-2-2 and perched atop the Metropolitan Division, the Eastern Conference, and the NHL with 24 points, there was no shortage of standout performances to sort through.
Pyotr Kochetkov made the choice at No. 1 feel pretty simple. Through nine starts, he has gone 9-0-0 with a 1.66 goals-against average, a .919 save percentage, and one shutout.
That start has already pushed him to the top of the league in wins, tied for fourth in shutouts, fifth in goals-against average, and eighth in save percentage. He also set a new franchise mark for wins to open a season, passing Frederik Andersen.
Kochetkov joined Felix Potvin from 1993-94 as the only other goalie to get to nine wins at the start of a season, with only Carey Price’s 10 in 2016-17 and Jack Campbell’s 11 in 2020-21 standing ahead of him.
His win total has already matched Brandon Bussi’s mark from 2025-26 twice and Cam Ward’s 2008-09 total for victories at any point in a season. Then came Oct. 24 against the St.
Louis Blues, when he collected the 12th shutout of his career and moved past Sean Burke and Kevin Weekes into fourth on the franchise’s all-time list. It’s the kind of opening month that puts him squarely in the conversation as one of the NHL’s elite goaltenders.
Sebastian Aho landed in the second spot, though there’s a fair case for him and Kochetkov to be flipped. Over the last 14 games, Aho has led the Hurricanes with 19 points, putting him four ahead of Jackson Blake.
He’s also second on the team with 11 assists and eight goals, with the goal total just one shy of Logan Stankoven. His 19-point October was the best start to a season of his career and left him three short of Eric Staal’s 22 points from 2005-06.
Aho has been driving the offense while Seth Jarvis missed the first 11 games recovering from off-season shoulder surgery. So far, there’s been a feel that he’s playing freer after winning the Stanley Cup, as if the burden has lifted and he’s not chasing the same summit anymore.
Whatever the reason, he’s off to the best opening stretch of his career, and it’s a big reason Carolina has been so sharp through its first 15 games. He already matched his career best season in 2023-24, when he had 89 points in 78 games, and now the questions start to get louder: can he reach 90 for the first time, or maybe even become the first Hurricane to hit 100 points since Staal in 2005-06?
Jackson Blake rounded out the list at No. 3, and he’s made a strong case to be higher. The Minnesota native has 15 points over his last 14 games and carries a five-game point streak into November. He leads the Hurricanes with 12 assists and sits second on the club in points, which is a strong place to be after his breakout 2025-26 campaign that ended with 22 goals and 53 points.
Blake was also one of the Hurricanes’ key postseason pieces during their second-ever Stanley Cup run, leading the team with 13 assists and 20 points in the 2026 NHL Playoffs. With October in the books, Carolina’s core is off and running again, and the Hurricanes head into November with momentum, a top spot in the standings, and the Global Series in Finland coming up soon.
In Other News...
Hurricanes Fans Will Recognize The Trade Problem In Quinn Hughes Situation
Quinn Hughes has put the Minnesota Wild in a familiar kind of spot for any team trying to manage a star players future before it turns into a full-blown deadline problem. His next step is still unclear, with no sign yet of whether he will settle on an extension or drift toward free agency, and that leaves the Wild weighing whether to hold on and hope or cash in while they still can.
Elliotte Friedman pointed out the wrinkle that makes this situation harder to navigate: there is no clear framework yet for a trade market to form around Hughes. For Carolina fans, it is the sort of front-office dilemma that feels recognizable, because the value of a player can change fast when a team has to decide between keeping the talent and protecting itself from losing him for nothing. [Read more 🡒]
Hurricanes Suddenly Look Like Kucherov's Best Fit For One Huge Reason
Nikita Kucherovs reported trade request out of Tampa Bay has instantly turned into one of the biggest what-ifs of the offseason, and the Hurricanes are right in the middle of the conversation. Elliotte Friedmans report has put several teams on the board, from Montreal to Dallas, Minnesota and Vegas, but Carolina stands out for a simple reason: it can offer the kind of competitive roster and organizational flexibility that makes a blockbuster feel at least plausible.
For Carolina, the appeal is obvious because this is a team built to chase a championship now, not just stockpile futures. The challenge, of course, is the price tag, and any serious pursuit would likely require a painful mix of young talent, established help and draft capital to even get Tampa Bay to listen. Montreal may have the assets to make a deal, but the divisional wrinkle complicates things, which is why the Hurricanes suddenly look like the cleanest fit if this situation keeps moving. [Read more 🡒]
Hurricanes Win Put A Growing Blue Jackets Roster Question In Focus
The Blue Jackets did not leave Carolina with points, but they did leave with a clearer look at the direction of their young core. In a 3-2 loss to the Hurricanes, Denton Mateychuk and Kent Johnson were among the players who helped drive a strong third-period push, with Mateychuk scoring his fourth goal of the season and Johnson continuing to lead Columbus with seven.
What stood out just as much was the lineup decision around Dmitri Voronkov, who was scratched for the third time this season. Columbus has been evaluating its roster as it tries to sort out which pieces fit long term, and Voronkovs status has become part of that conversation, even if nothing appears close on the transaction front yet. [Read more 🡒]