Carolina Hurricanes Boost Stanley Cup Hopes With New Players

The Hurricanes added firepower by signing wing Nikolaj Ehlers and bringing in defenseman K'Andre Miller for the 2025-26 NHL season. Betting sites now rank them equal with Florida as top picks for the Stanley Cup.

In a bold move, GM Eric Tulsky sent first and second round picks plus Scott Morrow to New York for Miller. The front office then spent big on Ehlers, who signed for $51 million across six years.

Last year's playoff run ended badly. Florida crushed Carolina in the Eastern finals, with the Canes winning just once: their first conference finals win since taking the Cup in 2006.

Star forward Seth Jarvis stays put after two strong years. His stick stayed hot with 32 goals and 35 assists last season, including 19 power play points. He'll center the second attack unit with Taylor Hall and Jackson Blake on his wings.

The net stays split between two skilled guards. Frederik Andersen posted solid numbers: 13-8-1 with 2.50 goals against in 22 games. His partner Kochetkov blocked shots through 47 matches, finishing 27-16-3 with a 2.60 average.

"We need a second-line center," Rod Brind'Amour said according to The Hockey News. "Beyond that, hard to find any fault with this team, especially if Nikishin ends up as good as anticipated."

Summer brought good news for fans as two young stars signed long deals. Logan Stankoven got $48 million for eight years starting July 1. Blake followed with his own eight-year contract worth $45 million after an impressive 34-point rookie run.

Special teams tell two different tales. The power play crashed from second-best at 26.9% to a weak 25th spot at 18.7%. Yet their penalty kill stayed tops in the NHL at 83.4%, though down from 86.4% the year before.

The schedule starts with New Jersey, then three straight against weaker teams. Their final five games match them against squads that missed last year's playoffs: a soft landing to end the regular season.