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Eric Tulsky hasn't had an easy first season as the Carolina Hurricanes' general manager. The analytically minded front office guru might not be the typical “hockey guy” we see in some front offices. However, his eye for statistics and aggressive team-building mindset perfectly blend for owner Tom Dundon. The aggressive style got him into trouble with the Mikko Rantanen drama this season, but he saved it by acquiring Logan Stankoven and several draft picks.
All of the past doesn't matter, as the Hurricanes look poised to make a dramatic run in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
The top of the Metropolitan Division has been putrid over the past 10 games. Neither the Hurricanes, Washington Capitals, nor the New Jersey Devils have had much to play for with the standings locked in place. It has led the teams to sub .500 records over the last couple weeks, and people are wondering if the Metro will make any noise in the playoffs.
Let's not forget the Hurricanes' run after the trade deadline. The team could've easily thrown in the towel, but Carolina won nine of 11 games to show everyone they didn't need Rantanen. Losing five of their past six might not be great for the psyche going into the postseason, but a new addition will have the Hurricanes ready to go.
The Hurricanes' third-round pick in the 2020 NHL Draft has been tearing up the KHL over the past three seasons. Alexander Nikishin has 177 points in 288 games in Russia, but 157 have come in the last three seasons. He will now make his Hurricanes debut after signing on April 12, and he could be the missing piece for the Hurricanes' Stanley Cup run.
Easy path in the Metropolitan is Hurricanes' dream scenario
The Atlantic Division is always a gauntlet, but that doesn't always translate to success for the Metropolitan Division. The age-old theory in the NHL is that if one side of the playoff bracket is better, those teams will weaken each other before they face a team on the opposite side. The Metropolitan Division has been hoping this will happen for years with the Atlantic, but the results haven't shown that.
The last time the Metropolitan Division had a team in the Stanley Cup Final was in 2018, when the Capitals won. The Boston Bruins went to the Finals the following year, which started a run of the East represented by the Tampa Bay Lightning or Florida Panthers for the next five years. On two occasions, the Hurricanes were the losers of those conference finals battles, when they lost to the Bruins (2019) and Panthers (2023).
There's no way of explaining why the Hurricanes and New York Rangers continue to fall short in the Eastern Conference Final. It's an unfortunate reality for the teams, and with the Atlantic's success, the Metropolitan might be setting itself up for another disappointment. However, there's reason to believe the Hurricanes could have an easier path this year.
The Devils and Capitals haven't looked great over the past few weeks and have also been bitten by the injury bug. The Devils without Jack Hughes are a different team, as are the Capitals without a healthy Logan Thompson. It wouldn't be impossible for the second wild card, the Columbus Blue Jackets or Montreal Canadiens, even to upset the Capitals in the first round.
It doesn't guarantee the Hurricanes a spot in the Finals, but their path to the conference final is a dream scenario with the Rangers in a down year and missing the playoffs altogether.
Frederik Andersen failing to stay healthy would be a nightmare scenario
Pyotr Kochetkov has been given many opportunities to take control of the Hurricanes' net. Carolina has mostly been going with a three-goalie system since Kochetkov made his NHL debut, thanks to Frederik Andersen and Antti Raanta's inability to stay healthy. The Hurricanes let Raanta walk this past season, paving the way for Kochetkov to get more starts.
Andersen's injury earlier this season gave him even more opportunity, and he had been capitalizing on it. He started a career-high 46 games so far, four more than last season when Raanta and Andersen battled through injuries. However, with two games remaining in the regular season, Kochetkov may have returned the starting job to Andersen.
The Hurricanes have no room for error with their goaltenders, and Kochetkov has been struggling. He has allowed three or more goals in six straight starts and has a .853 save percentage over his past five games. This isn't the production Carolina hoped to see as the postseason approaches.
It hasn't been an easy stretch for Andersen, but he had allowed two or fewer goals in seven consecutive starts before his recent poor stretch. Allowing 13 goals over his past three starts might be enough to give the reins to Kochetkov, but they'll likely get a game each over the remaining two to prove why they should get the Game 1 nod.
Thanks to his experience, Andersen will likely get the start. If he gets into a groove like that seven-game stretch through March, it could be the difference between the Hurricanes winning and losing. As always, the question is whether Andersen can stay healthy for the next two months and deliver Carolina an elusive Stanley Cup.
