CAROLINA HURRICANES
COACH: Rod Brind'Amour (226-107-37 over five seasons).
SEASON OPENER: Oct. 11 vs. Ottawa.
DEPARTURES: D Shayne Gostisbehere, F Derek Stepan, F Paul Stastny, F Max Pacioretty.
ADDITIONS: D Dmitry Orlov, F Michael Bunting, F Brendan Lemieux, D Tony De Angelo, D Caleb Jones.
GOALIES: Frederik Andersen (21-11-1, 2.48 GAA, .903 save percentage), Antti Raanta (19-3-3, 2.23, .910) and Pyotr Kotchetkov (12-7-5, 2.44, .909).
FANDUEL SPORTSBOOK STANLEY CUP ODDS: 9-1.
LAST SEASON: The Hurricanes reached the playoffs for the fifth consecutive year, with the last three coming as a division champion, and finished with 113 points in the regular season for the No. 2 total in the league. They reached the Eastern Conference Final for the second time in that run, though the Florida Panthers swept Carolina with four one-goal wins. It marked the third straight season that Carolina had lost a series despite having home ice and the third straight trip to the Eastern Final to end in a sweep going back to 2009.
STRENGTHS: The core group has been through Carolina's multi-year journey from playoff newbie to perennial Cup contender. The Hurricanes have an aggressive forechecking style and surrendered the fewest goals in the league in 2022 and the second-fewest in 2023. Carolina's offense is led by young home-grown talents like Sebastian Aho (team-high 36 goals last year) and Martin Necas (team-high 71 points). Carolina's blue line is one of the best in the league, headlined by former Norris Trophy winner Brent Burns and Jaccob Slavin. And the Hurricanes returned their goaltender group.
WEAKNESSES: The 'Canes have struggled to manufacture goals in recent playoff exits. They tried to address that before last season by signing Pacioretty, only to see him play just five games before suffering a season-ending injury. Worse, they also lost forward Andrei Svechnikov missed the final weeks of the regular season and the playoffs with a knee injury. His absence as a physical forward felt particularly acute with the Hurricanes managing six goals in the Florida series.
WHAT TO EXPECT: The Hurricanes have spent the past three seasons ranking among the best teams in the NHL. Keeping that core largely together, including the return of veteran captain Jordan Staal, means the Hurricanes have a group that knows what it takes to push through a competitive Metropolitan Division and into the playoffs, where the Hurricanes have won at least one series each year. That means this season will largely be measured by whether this group can actually hoist the Cup. Orlov's addition bolsters the already deep group of defensemen, while Bunting and Lemieux should add physicality and grit.
PLAYER TO WATCH: Svechnikov could only watch his teammates' playoff run last year while recovering from a torn right anterior cruciate ligament, which required surgery. The former No. 2 overall draft pick from 2018 has size and the ability to provide scoring punch, including some flair with his lacrosse-style goals.He was skating with the team to open training camp, and the Hurricanes need Svechnikov to be fully healthy and back to form by the time the postseason rolls around again if they want to win the Cup.
___
AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/NHL
The Associated Press
