Resilience, Adaptation Land Canes Eighth Consecutive Playoff Berth

RALEIGH, N.C. - Rinse and repeat, the mission of the first race is complete. The Carolina Hurricanes are headed back to the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the eighth straight season.

Locking up their spot on Thursday, following their 5-1 victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets, the berth feels like a mere formality on what's been another overall impressive season.

Battling bumps, bruises, and far worse along the way, the story of this season, or at least a big part of it, is how the team has navigated nearly 300 man-games lost to injury. Without Jaccob Slavin for a good chunk of the first few months, the blue line has also missed Shayne Gostisbehere for four different stretches. Losing Pyotr Kochetkov in December was an unexpected blow.

Persevering through their absences and never really suffering a setback in results, Rod Brind'Amour often pointed to the silver lining: the injuries allowed coaches and management alike to see whether some "unknowns" could hang at the highest level.

If Kochetkov were good to go on opening night, would we know Brandon Bussi's historic story?

If the blue line weren't as banged up as they've been, what would the thought process on Charles Alexis Legault and Joel Nystrom be?

"We've had injuries all year, and guys have stepped up. Whenever we've asked guys to do a little more than maybe we originally thought they'd have to do, they're doing whatever's asked of them. That's what has to happen," Brind'Amour said in January.

Not limited to those making their NHL debuts, although Alexander Nikishin falls somewhere in the middle, offseason acquisitions Nikolaj Ehlers and K'Andre Miller also played major roles on their road to integration.

Expected to be major players when brought aboard during the summer, Ehlers became the first player in team history (since relocation) to post multiple hat tricks in his first season with the team in early March, and Miller's average of 22:28 played per night leads the entire team.

"It's been everything we'd hoped for," Brind'Amour said of Miller in February.  "You kind of know the player from coaching against him, but you don't know what his impact could be. When he's on, (he's) an elite player. He's been really effective."

How effective?

Per NaturalStatTrick, Miller currently leads the entire league (min. 100 minutes played), with a 61.81% Corsi For, and his 59.80% scoring chance share sits inside the top five among all defensemen.

And as impressive as Miller has been, Ehlers has been right there with him, even with most of his success coming in a role that maybe fans didn't expect from the Danish star.

Bouncing around the team's "top six" through the first three months, he's found a home aside soon-to-be (once again) 20-goal scorer Jordan Staal and workhorse winger Jordan Martinook. He's also now matched his career-best in points (64) and published his first 40-assist season.

"(He's) a huge addition. Everyone knew he was a good player. This isn't a surprise. It was a great move by us, a great move by him to want to be here and be a part of this," Brind'Amour continued. "How it's fit, you probably didn't envision it quite the way it's worked out with the line he's on and everything else, but you've got to give him a lot of credit for coming in here and doing what he's been doing."

Working those two into the mix, along with a substantial growth in both comfort and production from second-year Hurricanes like Jackson Blake, Taylor Hall, and Logan Stankoven, there's a lot to like about the current mix as they head into the most important time of the year.

Another 30-goal campaign from Seth Jarvis, plus a healthy Frederik Andersen and Andrei Svechnikov, only adds to that.

"I like the personalities of the group. I like the work ethic. I like the group's demeanor and the way they go about their business. That's what I like most," Brind'Amour spoke of the unit as a whole. "I know what effort we are going to get every night. I know what they're going to bring on a nightly basis, and that's something that any coach is really looking for."

With a handful of regular-season games left to try and lock up a fourth division title in six seasons, the Canes will need that same consistent effort, and then some, after that.

“(Making the playoffs is) a huge accomplishment, and the guys should be proud of that. I wish they could feel better about it. I remember the days when we made the playoffs and how exciting that was. That was just amazing, and now it’s just kind of an afterthought," Brind'Amour finished. "But that’s also because we raised the expectations around here. Like I said, you can’t get a chance to do that if you don’t play well for six months. I give the guys a lot of credit for that. We know we’re turning the page. We’re going to finish out the year hard, get across the finish line the best that we can, and then look forward to an opportunity to win the whole thing.”