Inside look at Carolina Hurricanes

NHL.com is providing in-depth roster, prospect and fantasy analysis for each of its 32 teams from Aug. 1-Sept. 1. Today, the Carolina Hurricanes.

The Carolina Hurricanes hope that filling two of their biggest needs this offseason helps them finally get over the hump in their pursuit of the Stanley Cup.

Although the Hurricanes have qualified for the Stanley Cup Playoffs in seven consecutive seasons and reached the Eastern Conference Final three times during that span (2019, 2023, 2025), they haven't advanced to the Stanley Cup Final since winning the Cup in 2006. Determined to take the next step, Carolina was one of the NHL's most aggressive teams this offseason.

The Hurricanes acquired restricted free agent defenseman K'Andre Miller in a trade with the New York Rangers on July 1 and signed him to an eight-year, $60 million contract ($7.5 million average annual value) before landing perhaps the top player to hit the unrestricted free agent market by signing forward Nikolaj Ehlers to a six-year, $51 million contract ($8.5 million AAV) on July 3.

"I would say our goal this summer was to bring in at least one high-end defenseman and one high-end forward and try and shore up those groups," Hurricanes general manager Eric Tulsky said. "I feel like we did that."

With those two bold moves, Carolina made clear its intention to challenge the Florida Panthers, the repeat Cup winners who have played in the Cup Final in three straight seasons, for supremacy. The Hurricanes went into last season with similar aspirations, but they weren't sure how good they'd be after losing nearly a third of their lineup, including key players such as forwards Jake Guentzel and Teuvo Teravainen and defensemen Brett Pesce and Brady Skjei.

Coach Rod Brind'Amour admitted as much after Carolina lost to Florida in five games in the conference final, saying, "With the pieces that left this organization, I was like, 'I don't think we're making playoffs.'"

Overcoming those departures to finish second in the Metropolitan Division (47-30-5) and reach the conference final before losing to the eventual Cup champions would've been viewed as a success by some teams. That it wasn't by the Hurricanes demonstrated how far they've come since missing the playoffs nine consecutive seasons from 2010-18.

"We have raised the bar year after year after year, and it is a really good thing to be in a place where being one of the final four teams can be viewed as a disappointment," said Tulsky, who is entering his second season as GM after four as assistant GM. "Obviously, I'd rather get past that, but I'd much rather be here than in a place where it's viewed as exciting if we make the playoffs and go out in round one."

The Hurricanes' culture of expecting to contend for the Cup and their aggressive forecheck and puck possession system were among the factors that appealed to Ehlers, who left the Winnipeg Jets after 10 seasons.

"You go to Carolina, and you know exactly that they're going to be ready to play," the 29-year-old said. "They're going to come out hard and they're going to keep stressing you out until they get the puck back, and to now be on the other side of that will be pretty fun."

The Hurricanes haven't been afraid to take big swings. Although their trade to acquire forward Mikko Rantanen from the Colorado Avalanche on Jan. 24 didn't work out because Rantanen, a potential unrestricted free agent at the time, was unwilling to sign with them, they quickly pivoted and traded Rantanen to the Dallas Stars on March 7.

The return included 22-year-old forward Logan Stankoven, conditional first-round picks in the 2026 NHL Draft and 2028 NHL Draft, a third-round pick in the 2026 draft and a third-round pick in the 2027 NHL Draft. Stankoven fit in quickly with Carolina, getting nine points (five goals, four assists) in 19 regular-season games, and signed an eight-year, $48 million contract ($6 million AAV) on July 1 that begins in 2026-27.

Ehlers' speed and skill -- he had 63 points (24 goals, 39 assists) in 69 games last season -- will provide a boost to the Hurricanes' offense. Miller is expected to be a core piece of their defense, which is in transition after the departures of Brent Burns (signed with Colorado Avalanche) and Dmitry Orlov (signed with San Jose Sharks).

The cost for the 25-year-old was a second-round pick in 2026, a conditional first-round pick in 2026 or 2027 and defenseman Scott Morrow, but Carolina had additional draft assets because of the Rantanen-Stankoven trade. Like Ehlers, Miller believes he'll fit well within the Hurricanes system.

"I'm super excited for the style that they play, getting up and down the ice in a fast motion, making plays through the neutral zone to get the pucks to the forwards with speed and let them do their things, but also joining the rush and trying to create," Miller said. "I think that's something I've built my game around the last couple of years, and only getting better, so it's great."