Depth, balance provide Hurricanes chance to repeat as Stanley Cup champs

Legendary hockey reporter Stan Fischler writes a weekly scrapbook for NHL.com. Fischler, also known as "The Hockey Maven," shares his insight and humor with readers each Wednesday. With training camps opening, the well-balanced Carolina Hurricanes have drawn the spotlight as well as a question: How close to "perfect" are the reigning Stanley Cup champions?

"No team can be perfect -- and for a good reason," New York Rangers coach and general manager Emile "The Cat" Francis once told me, "because hockey is a slippery game. It's played on ice."

The Carolina Hurricanes have managed NHL "slippage" very well and have every reason to believe they can repeat as Stanley Cup champions.

"We get it," coach Rod Brind'Amour told the “NHL Wraparound” podcast last week. "We're going to be fine because my guys understand what it takes now and we've been able to keep our core group -- (Sebastian) Aho, (Jaccob) Slavin, and (Seth) Jarvis, among others -- and that's the important thing.

"We understand how tight it is from top to bottom, so it's going to be a grind every night. But we also have a road map on how to do this. Once we get up and running, we should be fine. We've done a lot right in a league where it's so hard to consistently win."

Frederik Andersen was Carolina’s No.1 goalie for the majority of the past five seasons, but he signed a one-year, $2.8 million contract with the Edmonton Oilers on July 1 as an unrestricted free agent. As a result, Brandon Bussi, who won 31 regular-season games and started the last three of the Hurricanes’ championship run, appears ready to prove his rookie season was no fluke.

Their balanced lineup features the likes of Aho, an outstanding two-way center who led them with 80 points (27 goals, 53 assists), and forward Nikolaj Ehlers, who flourished in his first season with Carolina after signing a six-year, $51 million contract ($8.5 million average annual value) as an unrestricted free agent. He ranked second on the Hurricanes with 71 points (26 goals, 45 assists) and played all 82 regular-season games.

That balance has impressed the hockey world, including Detroit Red Wings executive vice president Jim Devellano, who helped create the New York Islanders' dynasty of the early 1980's as a chief scout.

"Carolina does not have one superstar," Devellano told me in an email, "but ALL their players are good under the terrific leadership of Rod Brind'Amour."

Brind'Amour's reliable roster compensates for lack of a major headliner. The likes of Jackson Blake (20 points; seven goals, 13 assists), Taylor Hall (19 points; seven goals, 12 assists), Logan Stankoven (16 points; 11 goals, five assists) and captain Jordan Staal (12 points; eight goals, four assists) each chipped in offensively during the postseason run.

Astute moves by general manager Eric Tulsky, including the acquisition of mobile defenseman K'Andre Miller from the Rangers, enabled the Hurricanes to fill any and all gaps. Miller was acquired for defenseman Scott Morrow, and a conditional first-round pick and a second-round pick in the 2026 NHL Draft. Miller, who then signed an eight-year, $60 million contract ($7.5 million AAV), became a perfect fit and had 37 points (eight goals, 29 assists) in 72 regular-season games while averaging 22:24 of ice time.

Bussi may have been the most surprising fit of all after the Hurricanes claimed him off waivers from the Florida Panthers on October 5, 2025.

"We got fortunate in getting Bussi," Brind'Amour said. "No one really knew what he was about, but from Day 1 he went in and played well. And when Freddie got hurt in the playoffs and ‘Buss’ came in, he played great.

"He's a lot more athletic than Freddie; Buss is all over the place, while Freddie is either stopping it or not. But in the end, Freddie was hurt so we really didn't have a choice. Buss got his opportunity and made the most of it."

So have the Hurricanes, who have won at least one round in the Stanley Cup Playoffs each of the past eight seasons, including four trips to the Eastern Conference Final.

"At the end of the day," Brind'Amour insisted, "none of it works -- nothing at all -- if you are not blessed with extraordinary leadership."

Staal, who won the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP, was made for the leadership role along with Slavin, the cornerstone of their defense.

"Brind'Amour has a rare, authentic ability to make everyone feel important just by being himself," Hurricanes television analyst Tripp Tracy told me in an email. "Rod makes everyone dig in and maximize whatever his player's best version is of himself on a daily basis.

“Plus, this team is blessed with exceptional leaders who also are such caring people."

Rare is the NHL analyst who doubts the Hurricanes will be a strong defender of their championship. It won’t be easy, however.

"Carolina might win another Stanley Cup," opined Devellano, "but because of parity, they might not."

Brind’Amour has faith.

"My players," Brind'Amour concluded, "should not be that far off remembering what we did a few months ago."