The Hurricanes have already checked one important item off their offseason list by locking up captain Jordan Staal on a one-year extension, and GM Eric Tulsky sounds eager to keep the momentum going.
Tulsky told Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic that Carolina has already had talks with its other pending unrestricted free agents and that the team would prefer to get deals done early when possible. That group still includes defensemen Shayne Gostisbehere and Jalen Chatfield, goaltender Pyotr Kochetkov, and winger Jordan Martinook.
There’s room to make that happen, too. PuckPedia pegs the Hurricanes at roughly $28MM in cap space for 2027-28, which gives the club plenty of flexibility if it can reach agreement with its own players. Gostisbehere looks like the priciest name in that mix after a 50-point season in 55 games, production that should push him well beyond the $3.2MM he’s making now.
Carolina may also have a short-term opening in its forward group. With Seth Jarvis expected to miss time at the start of the season, Chip Alexander of the Raleigh News & Observer believes Bradly Nadeau could be the one to step into a top-six role.
Nadeau, 21, put up three goals in 12 games with the Hurricanes last season and was much more productive in the AHL, where he posted 56 points in 52 games with AHL Chicago. The 2023 first-round pick likely needs offensive minutes to give himself the best chance to stick in the NHL, and Jarvis’ absence could hand him that opportunity, at least for now.
There was also movement on the prospect side. William Hakansson has been loaned to Sodertalje in Sweden’s Allsvenskan, his SHL team announced.
The 18-year-old, taken 51st overall in June, split last season between Lulea in the SHL and Almtuna in the Allsvenskan. The loan is meant to get him more ice time, and he’ll be able to move freely between the two organizations as needed this season.
In Other News...
Carolinas Alexander Nikishin Standoff Just Put The Hurricanes In A Bind
Alexander Nikishins situation has quietly turned into one of the more awkward early storylines around Carolinas training camp. The restricted free agent defenseman is still waiting on a contract resolution, and the Hurricanes have already made it clear they are not going to keep talking publicly about it. For a team that has invested in adding blue-line talent, the hold-up is a reminder that not every roster issue gets settled neatly by the calendar.
Nikishins leverage is limited by his NHL service time, which leaves Carolina in control of his rights even as the standoff lingers. The tension now is less about whether the Hurricanes can force the issue and more about how long both sides are willing to wait before something finally gives. For the moment, the team appears content to be patient, but the longer this drags on, the more it hangs over a group trying to get its camp into a normal rhythm. [Read more 🡒]
Bradly Nadeau Is Bringing A Different Edge Into Hurricanes Camp
Bradly Nadeau heads into Hurricanes camp next year with a much different feel around his game than when he first started pushing for a bigger role. After splitting last season between Carolina and Chicago, he already has a taste of both levels, including three goals in 12 NHL games and a productive stretch with the Wolves that helped carry them deep into the spring.
Nadeau also comes in with some valuable playoff mileage and a clearer sense of what the pro game demands, especially after spending time under coaches who helped shape his approach. The next step is turning those lessons into a more consistent impact at the NHL level, where the margin for young scorers gets thinner and every shift asks for a little more detail. [Read more 🡒]
Brandon Bussi Faces Carolinas Biggest Pressure Point This Season
Brandon Bussi arrived in Carolina last summer on waivers and quickly turned what looked like a depth pickup into one of the more remarkable goalie stories in the organizations recent history. His rookie NHL season brought team and league records, 31 appearances, and a real hand in the Hurricanes Stanley Cup run, where he moved from backup duty into a larger role once the Finals arrived. For a club that has spent years trying to solve the crease, Bussis first full year gave it something it had been missing: a netminder who could handle big moments and help carry a championship push.
Now the challenge shifts from surprise to expectation, which is usually where the pressure gets heavier in Carolina. Bussi is no longer being treated like an emergency solution or an intriguing waiver claim, and the conversation around him has changed to whether he can sustain that standard over a full season while shouldering the kind of workload the Hurricanes have been searching for. His track record says the ceiling is real, but the next step is the harder one, because proving he can do it once is different from proving he can do it night after night. [Read more 🡒]