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Over the last half-decade, the Carolina Hurricanes have established themselves as a contender in the East. Building through the draft and seeing improved results under Rod Brind'Amour, the Hurricanes have at times looked like a legitimate Stanley Cup favorite.
But after an offseason highlighted by key departures, Carolina may be looking at a bit of a step back this year. Below, we preview the Hurricanes' new-look roster, and what could be in store for the 2024-25 season.
Hurricanes' projected defense group and goaltending
On the blue line, the Hurricanes are pretty much set. Jaccob Slavin and Brent Burns are likely to act as the team's top pairing once again, while Dmitry Orlov and Jalen Chatfield return as well. Meanwhile, newcomers Shayne Gostisbehere and Sean Walker will help to fill the holes left by Brady Skjei and Brett Pesce. It's not quite as strong of a unit as the team had last year, but it remains a capable group.
In net, the picture is also pretty clear. Both Frederik Andersen and Pyotr Kochetkov will be back, and it'll just be more of a matter of how big a role each netminder takes. Andersen missed most of last season with a blood clot, but was excellent upon his return. At the same time, Kochetkov is being positioned as the team's future in goal.
At just 25 years old, Kochetkov has improved year over year, increasing his workload in the meantime. So while we can probably expect a fairly even workload between the tandem, it wouldn't be surprising to see Kochetkov get an opportunity for a bit more action if his performance dictates it.
Projected forward group
Carolina's forward group is where there's a bit more uncertainty. Some notable departures in Jake Guentzel, Teuvo Teravainen, Stefan Noesen and Evgeny Kuznetsov left holes up front. Also not helping this was the announcement that Jesper Fast is expected to miss the entire 2024-25 season after undergoing offseason neck surgery.
With less depth, the team will rely a lot on their four top forwards in Sebastian Aho, Andrei Svechnikov, Seth Jarvis and Martin Necas. After that group though, the Hurricanes' source of offense will be a little more up in the air.
Jack Roslovic was a solid pickup for middle-six scoring, but isn't necessarily a consistent producer. Meanwhile, Jack Drury and Jesperi Kotkaniemi are still just entering their mid-20s, but there's no confirmation that either will be able to sustain better offensive numbers. After that, it's a lot of forwards who shouldn't play higher than a bottom-six role.
The likes of William Carrier, Jordan Martinook and Jordan Staal will provide great depth, but can't be counted on for a ton of offense. Then Brendan Lemieux, and potentially either Eric Robinson or Tyson Jost could round-out the group.
That said, it's possible could see one or both of Jackson Blake or Bradly Nadeau make the team. While either player would be an exciting add though, there shouldn't be too much pressure put on either to produce in their rookie season.
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So while still a decent unit, Carolina's offense may not look quite as explosive this season.
Carolina's season outlook
Carolina should be competitive once again, but we also can't pretend the significant offseason losses won't be a factor. The Hurricanes lost major pieces both up front and on the blue line, and the players brought in to replace them simply don't offset the departures.
Then there's also the difficulty of the Metropolitan Division. The New York Rangers look poised to take the Division title again, after retaining almost their entire roster this summer. The New Jersey Devils and Washington Capitals also improved substantially as well, while the New York Islanders got a little bit better too. As a result, there's not even a guarantee the Hurricanes will be able to secure one of the division's three playoff spots.
The Atlantic Division should also be competitive as well, in the case the Hurricanes do drop to being one of the teams in the Wild Card race. The Florida Panthers, Boston Bruins, Tampa Bay Lightning and Toronto Maple Leafs should all be playoff teams once again, while the Buffalo Sabres, Ottawa Senators and Detroit Red Wings will all compete as well.
So while the Hurricanes will be competitive once again, they don't necessarily stand out as much as previous years in what could be a tough Eastern Conference.
Hurricanes' playoff picture
The Hurricanes have been a consistent playoff team, and we can expect that probably won't change. That said, Carolina is still icing a thinner roster this season. So while the Hurricanes have been a consistent contender for Division titles, there's an expectation that we could see them take a step back.
There's still enough pure talent, despite what could be a strong Eastern Conference, that Carolina should be a playoff team. At the same time, their chances of legitimately contending may not be quite as strong. The team has struggled to get over the playoff hump in recent years, and now, they'll be attempting to do so with a weaker roster.
As a result, while Carolina should clinch their seventh consecutive postseason appearance, the odds of a deep playoff run may be lower than past years.
