RALEIGH, NC. - They're in. Again.
In a lot of ways, it was a foregone conclusion that the Carolina Hurricanes would be in the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs. How they got here was neither routine nor gift-wrapped, but it was the expectation.
Making it is also not enough.
When Rod Brind'Amour signed his new multi-year contract extension last offseason, he talked about how the team still has the "carrot dangling in front of them" - one that needs no further explanation. The carrot can't be caught during the early days of training camp or at any point during the 82-game regular season, though. It's only at the finish line after earning 16 wins between mid-April and the end of June.
Now that the Canes have their ticket to participate in the race, they'll continue to go about their business the same way that they have since early September, one day at a time.