Carolina Hurricanes: 2024-25 Season Preview

2023-24 In Review

The 2023-24 season started slowly for the Hurricanes. Featuring an uninspired State Fair trip, a disturbingly bad 8-2 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning at home, and a four-game losing streak during their Western Canada trip, the Hurricanes didn't show much promise until a 3-1 victory over the Ottawa Senators on December 12 to help turn their season around. The team went 38-11-6 in their final 55 games, falling three points short of the Metropolitan Division title and the President's Trophy. The Hurricanes finished in the Top 10 in goals scored and fourth in goals allowed while boasting the league's top penalty kill and the second-best power play. In the postseason, the Hurricanes used some heroics in the first round to down the Islanders in five games but fell behind 3-0 to the Rangers in the second round and failed to recover, losing in six games.

Notable Performances

• Sebastian Aho's 89 points were the second-most in a season since the team relocated to Raleigh (Eric Staal- 100 points in 2005-06) and tied for the ninth-most in Whalers/Hurricanes history
• Aho moved into sole possession of third place in goals, assists, and points in franchise history (passing Kevin Dineen in all three respects), and first in short-handed goals (passing Eric Staal)
• Aho set the franchise record for the most game-winning goals in a season (10)
• Seth Jarvis broke out, scoring 30 goals (33) and 60 points (67) for the first time in his career
• Jarvis finished with nine game-winning goals, tying him for second in franchise history
• The team scored four hat tricks, including a pair of natural hat tricks (Teravainen- 10/27 vs. SJ, Necas- 2/8 vs. COL)
• Necas' hat trick was the first of his career
• Pyotr Kochetkov tied for the rookie lead in wins (23) and shutouts (4) and was second in the league in GAA (2.33) on his way to a fourth-place finish in Calder voting
• Frederik Andersen went 9-1-0 with a .951 save percentage after returning from a blood clotting issue in March
• Jaccob Slavin won his second Lady Byng in three years
• Jordan Staal was a finalist for the Selke Trophy, finishing second
• The Hurricanes finished tied for the league lead in shutout victories (8)

The Forwards

Andrei Svechnikov-Sebastian Aho-Seth Jarvis

Bradly Nadeau-Jack Drury-Martin Necas-

Jack Roslovic-Jordan Staal-Jordan Martinook

William Carrier-Jesperi Kotkaniemi-Tyson Jost

Eric Robinson-Brendan Lemieux

While there is a little turnover from last season, the heart of the forward group remains the same. Sebastian Aho and Seth Jarvis will look to build off career seasons. Andrei Svechnikov is expected to begin the season healthy after missing the start of last season. Jordan Staal and Jordan Martinook still make up two-thirds of one of the toughest defensive lines in the league. Martin Necas is still a Hurricane after much speculation that he'd be traded. Jesperi Kotkaniemi hopes to rebound after a bad end to last season. Jack Drury will try and maintain his status as a reliable contributor. Brendan Lemieux will also be here.

With Jake Guentzel and Teuvo Teravainen signing elsewhere this offseason, and Jesper Fast out after neck surgery for an injury he sustained during the regular-season finale, the Hurricanes didn't bring in any top-notch free agents. Instead, they filled out their lineup with strong role players. Jack Roslovic is the most notable name from the bunch. After spending most of his career in Winnipeg and Columbus, Roslovic was traded to the Rangers at the deadline, putting up solid numbers for New York during their playoff run. The weirdest contract of the summer belongs to William Carrier. Carrying a $2 million cap hit, Carrier signed for six years in Raleigh after spending the last several seasons in Vegas. Tyson Jost and Eric Robinson round out the group, both of whom are likely to spend time near the bottom of the lineup.

Part of the reason the Hurricanes might not have been too aggressive in signing top free agents could be because of what they have in the pipeline. Their wealth of solid forward prospects means they didn't need to break the bank. At the top of that list is Bradly Nadeau, who I expect to become a full-time NHLer this season. He, along with Jackson Blake, made his debut at the end of the season before serving as a "Black Ace" for the postseason. Blake and several other young forwards will be at the top of the list should a call-up be needed this season.

The Defensemen

Jaccob Slavin-Brent Burns

Shayne Gostisbehere-Sean Walker

Dmitry Orlov-Jalen Chatfield

Scott Morrow-Riley Stillman

The departures of Brady Skjei and Brett Pesce are arguably the biggest of the offseason for the Hurricanes. In their place, the team reunited with Shayne Gostisbehere, who they acquired at the trade deadline in 2022 before he signed with Detroit last season. They also added Sean Walker, a highly sought commodity at last season's trade deadline. While it's not guaranteed that they'll start the season together, they should be able to fill the void left by the departure of the team's second pair. 

Outside of the new guys, the rest of the defensive core remain unchanged from a season ago. Jaccob Slavin, fresh off signing his new deal this offseason, and Brent Burns still occupy the top pairing. Dmitry Orlov and Jalen Chatfield also return after proving to have incredible chemistry last season. The team also has top prospect Scott Morrow and several other NHL-ready defensemen in the AHL to call upon.

The Goalies

Frederik Andersen-Pyotr Kochetkov

Spencer Martin

Right now, I'm not sure who the Opening Night starter is going to be, though I'd likely lean toward Frederik Andersen over Pyotr Kochetkov. Andersen is coming off a trio of great performances during Olympic qualifiers, helping Denmark secure a spot in the 2026 Winter Games. He was also the team's starting goalie for the postseason, putting up solid numbers despite the result. It's no disrespect to Kochetkov, who was phenomenal when the team needed him to be. Honestly, it might not matter since they open the season with a back-to-back. Spencer Martin, who joined the organization as a waiver pickup in January, will likely be the third goalie, moving up and down throughout the season as needed. 

Season Predictions

1. Sebastian Aho (finally) breaks Eric Staal's single-season goals record

COVID-19 ruined what felt like an inevitability in 2020. With 38 goals heading into the latter part of the season, Sebastian Aho looked to be on his way to challenging Eric Staal's 45-goal campaign from 2005-06. Instead, Aho fell short once the league shut down. Aho is usually good to score 30-35 goals in a season, meaning he's not too far off the pace to reach Staal's 45. This year, with consistent help from his teammates, I'd surmise that he could reach that. 

2. The top line (Aho, Svechnikov, & Jarvis) combine for 100 goals

If I'm predicting that Sebastian Aho will score at least 46 goals, that means Andrei Svechnikov and Seth Jarvis will only need to combine for 54 more goals, or 27 goals apiece. Jarvis is coming off a 30-goal season and Svechnikov's lethal shot makes 30 goals a possibility if he stays healthy. This trio likely won't stick together for an entire season, given how Rod Brind'Amour likes to mess around with his lines, but I think this is possible regardless of where the three of them are playing in the lineup. 

3. Pyotr Kochetkov takes over as the starter for good during the season

At points during the last two seasons, it has felt like Pyotr Kochetkov has been ready to become the Hurricanes' #1 goalie. While Frederik Andersen was out with his blood-clotting emergency, Kochetkov put the team on his back, winning some important games from mid-December through the end of the season. It ended with him finishing fourth in Calder voting. However, Frederik Andersen's return and subsequent performances allowed him to remain the starter during the postseason. With Andersen entering the final year of his deal, the net will need to become Kochetkov's eventually. 

4. Shayne Gostisbehere scores 50+ points

The 50-point mark for some defensemen isn't a big milestone. For the Hurricanes, few have ever reached that number. While Brent Burns is one of the few to have done it, my vote is for Shayne Gostisbehere to be the defender to do it this season. He has done it three times in his career, including 65 points in 2017-18 with the Flyers and 51 last season with the Red Wings. Given the likelihood that he'll be on one of the power plays this season, this prediction doesn't feel too far-fetched.  

5. Frank Vatrano will be a Hurricane by the trade deadline

Trade deadline predictions are pointless because you never know where your team is going to stand and who your team is interested in until it rolls around. This is a complete shot in the dark, but wouldn't it be cool for Frank Vatrano to be a Hurricane? I'm not sure whether or not he'd fit into our system or not, but it would be fun to add a name like him at the deadline to bolster the wings. Maybe it happens. Maybe it doesn't. Who knows?

6. Bradly Nadeau becomes a surprise Calder finalist

This year's Calder Trophy race is going to be one for the ages. The league has so many rookies who are about to take the league by storm, but Bradly Nadeau is a name flying under the radar. He's not as flashy as Celebrini or Michkov, though he'll have every chance to thrive under Rod Brind'Amour. Assuming he makes the team out of training camp, Nadeau could see time on one of the power plays and might be in a Top 6 role on the wing. If all goes well, Nadeau might be in the Final 3 to win rookie of the year.

7. The special teams will combine to be the best in the NHL by percentage

After struggling to begin the season, the Hurricanes' special teams helped turn their season around. Color commentator Tripp Tracy always says that the goal is for your power play and penalty kill percentages to be 100% or greater when added together. This season, the Hurricanes will be the team with the highest combined percentage. I'm a little more confident about their penalty kill than their power play, though both units were remarkable last season.

8. Andersen and Kochetkov win the Jennings Trophy

Frederik Andersen and Antti Raanta won the franchise's first Jennings Trophy in 2021-22, allowing the fewest goals in the league. Over the last two seasons, the Hurricanes netminders have finished second and fourth for the Jennings, but I think this season could be their chance to win their second. Down the stretch last season, Andersen and Pyotr Kochetkov were magnificent. If they can put it together for an entire season, and get some spot help from Spencer Martin when needed, the trophy should be theirs.

9. The Hurricanes will secure home ice for the 1st Round

With how tightly-contested the Metropolitan Division has been in recent seasons, I'm hesitant to pick the Hurricanes to win the division over the New York Rangers. That's why I'm taking the easy route and stating that they'll finish in the Top 2 of the division this season. On paper, I think New York has a deeper team up front and the better goalie, but the Canes have the deeper defensive group. I'm tentatively predicting that they'll finish second in the division behind New York, facing the New Jersey Devils in the first round of the playoffs.

10. The Hurricanes will make it to the Eastern Conference Finals

While I'm not committing to a division title, I am steadfast in my belief that the Hurricanes will be the last Metropolitan Division team standing once the playoffs roll around. For the third time in seven seasons, the Carolina Hurricanes will advance to the Eastern Conference Finals, likely matching up with Florida or Boston for the Prince of Wales Trophy. This likely means another date with the Rangers in the second round. The Canes will learn from last season's mistakes and find a way to beat the Rangers without home ice. From there, anything is possible.