NHL Rumors: Seth Jarvis, Hurricanes Agree to 8-Year, $63.2M Contract Extension
Aug 31, 2024
RALEIGH, NORTH CAROLINA - APRIL 30: Seth Jarvis #24 of the Carolina Hurricanes is recognized as one of the stars of the game after the victory against the New York Islanders in Game Five of the First Round of the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs at PNC Arena on April 30, 2024 in Raleigh, North Carolina. (Photo by Josh Lavallee/NHLI via Getty Images)
Seth Jarvis is going to be a member of the Carolina Hurricanes for a long time after the two sides agreed to an eight-year contract extension.
Per Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff, Jarvis' eight-year deal is worth $63.2 million and contains "substantially" lower cap hits than those terms would suggest because agreed to defer salary.
A traditional cap hit is calculated by dividing the total value by number of years on the contract, which in this case would be $7.9 million.
According to Seravelli, Jarvis will count roughly $7.5 million against the cap for the Hurricanes thanks to his deferrals.
More on this deal, according to @frank_seravalli. The actual cap hit will come in at $7.5M annually because of deferred money, saving Carolina $400,000 annually. https://t.co/2P3qxI8jQ0
Seravelli noted that no one would confirm exactly how much money was being deferred, but there is a deferred signing bonus payment that will be paid out one day after the contract expires on June 30, 2032.
Deferred payments are a tool that teams in various sports have used for a variety of reasons. It's most common in Major League Baseball, with Bobby Bonilla Day happening every July 1 to commemorate his payment from the New York Mets as part of his release agreement in January 2000.
Shohei Ohtani took deferred money to another level in his 10-year, $700 million pact with the Los Angeles Dodgers. He will only make $20 million of that during the life of the contract, with the remaining $680 million to be paid out in $68 million installments over a 10-year period from 2034 to 2043.
Since MLB only calculates luxury tax salary based on the present-day value of a contract, Ohtani lowered his tax hit from $70 million to $46.1 million by deferring pay.
The NHL collective bargaining agreement does allow for deferred payments, but Seravelli wrote Jarvis' deal is believed to be the first one that takes advantage of it "in a meaningful way."
Jarvis was a restricted free agent after playing out his three-year, $2.8 million rookie contract. The Hurricanes are currently $6.4 million under the cap before factoring in Jarvis' salary.
Carolina selected Jarvis with the No. 13 overall pick in the 2020 NHL draft. He debuted for the club at the start of the 2021-22 season and has been an impact player.
The 22-year-old has 146 points in 231 career games. He set career-highs in goals (33) and assists (34) in 81 games last season.
Carolina has posted three consecutive seasons with more than 110 points after having one 100-point season in the previous 41 years (112 in 2005-06). The Hurricanes lost in the second round of the playoffs last season to the New York Rangers.
Hurricanes Must Pursue Nikolaj Ehlers to Replace Jake Guentzel amid NHL Trade Rumors
Kristopher Knox
Jul 9, 2024
Nikolaj Ehlers
The Carolina Hurricanes traded forward Jake Guentzel to the Tampa Bay Lightning just before the start of free agency and only a few months after he was acquired from the Pittsburgh Penguins.
For Carolina, the trade made sense, even if it only netted a 2025 third-round pick. Guentzel was on an expiring contract and eyeing a significant new deal—he signed a seven-year, $63 million deal with Tampa Bay—and the Hurricanes were reportedly resigned to the fact that he would depart.
"I believe Carolina has let everyone know that if you want to trade for his rights for the chance to sign him, that it is possible for a mid-round pick," Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman said on the 32 Thoughts podcast on June 7 (h/t Heavy's Antonio Losada).
Carolina at least got something for a player it was going to lose anyway, but it also lost a player who, when acquired, was supposed to help the Hurricanes chase a title.
Guentzel did provide four goals and nine points in 11 playoff games for Carolina, but it again fell short in the postseason. Now the franchise, which has been a perennial contender since the 2018-19 season but hasn't reached the Stanley Cup Final in that span, is back searching for offensive help.
According to Stefen Rosner of NHL.com, Carolina is now eyeing Winnipeg Jets wing Nikolaj Ehlers:
There are reports that CAR is pushing heavily for Ehlers.
Can confirm those reports.
Make sense with them losing Guentzel.#Isles had interest leading up to #NHLDraft.
Could still have interest even after acquiring Duclair but not sure.
Ehlers, who produced 25 goals and 61 points last season, is a sensible target in the wake of losing Guentzel, and he's a player the Hurricanes must pursue.
While Ehlers hasn't been as productive as Guentzel in recent years, he's still a strong offensive threat who could help keep Carolina in contention. He's also interested the Hurricanes before. According to The Athletic's Murat Ates, the Jets and 'Canes discussed an Ehlers trade ahead of the 2019 draft.
Furthermore, Ehlers may be one of the few realistic trade targets that Carolina has left at this point in the offseason. Last month, Jets general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff told reporters that Ehlers was "a big part of what we have going forward here," but there have been reports that the 28-year-old is looking to play elsewhere.
"According to a well-placed source close to the Jets, Ehlers is not interested in signing a contract extension with the club and that is primarily why Winnipeg GM Kevin Cheveldayoff is exploring his options via the trade market," David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period wrote on June 5.
There would be obstacles to acquiring Ehlers, of course. His $6 million cap hit would eat up most of Carolina's $7.5 million in cap space. Plus, there's the matter of trade compensation.
However, the Hurricanes might have the perfect trade chip in budding standout Martin Nečas. While the 25-year-old has flashed the potential of a future star, he's a restricted free agent, recently filed for arbitration and seems to want a larger role that Carolina can't or isn't willing to provide.
"I was not among the key players. I would like to improve that in the future, both from my point of view and overall," Nečas said, per Derek O'Brien of The Hockey News.
Nečas' situation could get a bit sticky. As TSN's Frank Corrado recently noted, he has been the subject of trade chatter and could make for an ideal player swap.
"If Martin Nečas' name is out there, and we've heard that for quite a while now it would have to be him coming back in return, wouldn't it?" Corrado told SportsCentre.
Nečas, who scored 53 points this past season and 71 points the previous year, is a valuable contributor for the Hurricanes. He could also have a bright future with the franchise. However, if Carolina isn't willing to give him the expanded role he wants—or pay him whatever number arbitration yields—flipping him for Ehlers would be viewed as a win.
The Hurricanes are clearly a team in win-now mode, and Ehlers is one of the few potential additions who could make an immediate impact. He is set to be a free agent in 2025, though, so if they do acquire him, they'll need to do a better job of locking him up than they did with Guentzel.
NHL Trade Rumors: Jake Guentzel, Hurricanes Discussing Contract Ahead of Free Agency
Jun 25, 2024
ELMONT, NEW YORK - APRIL 25: Jake Guentzel #59 of the Carolina Hurricanes skates during the first period against the New York Islanders in Game Three of the First Round of the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs at UBS Arena on April 25, 2024 in Elmont, New York. (Photo by Josh Lavallee/NHLI via Getty Images)
There are "talks ongoing" between Carolina Hurricanes and winger Jake Guentzel before the Monday opening of NHL free agency, according to TSN's Pierre LeBrun.
Carolina hasn’t given up on trying to sign Jake Guentzel. Talks ongoing. My sense is it’s going to be hard for him not to see what’s out there Monday, but ‘Canes still trying.
Guentzel slotted in on the Hurricanes' top line beside Sebastian Aho after his midseason trade acquisition from the Pittsburgh Penguins. He recorded 25 points in 17 regular season games, and nine in 11 playoff contests.
The winger is due for a raise from his previous $6 million AAV deal, and The Fourth Period's David Pagnotta reported earlier this month that he is "expected to test free agency."
Guentzel has also been connected to the Vancouver Canucks, as well as a potential reunion with Sidney Crosby and the Penguins, per the Daily Faceoff's Frank Seravalli and The Athletic's Josh Yohe.
The veteran winger, who turns 30 in October, said in May he would like to "sign here long term" in Raleigh.
"This team for sure can win the Stanley Cup," Guentzel said after the Hurricanes were eliminated from the second round by the New York Rangers, per NHL.com's Kurt Dusterberg. "I think it's right there. This puts you in a good spot to do that. I want to do that more than anything, and that's all I care about. That definitely plays a factor into it. Hopefully you can kind of get some stability and be able to sign here long term."
But with a host of other pending free agents to consider, including Tuevo Teravainen, Brett Pesce and Brady Skjei, the Hurricanes may not have the cap space to make Guentzel a higher offer than what he could find on the open market.
Despite being sidelined for almost a month with a rib injury, Guentzel's 77 total points in 67 games of the 2023-24 regular season rank third among all pending free agents. That could net him offers north of $8 million per year in free agency.
Guentzel made his NHL debut in 2015 and went on to help the Penguins win two Stanley Cups during his first two seasons. He has recorded 491 points in 520 regular-season games, and 67 points in 69 career playoff contests.
After spending the majority of eight seasons on Crosby's wing and clicking with Aho during the Canes' playoff push, Guentzel has proven he can provide consistent scoring on a team's top line. That valuable position could make it expensive for the Hurricanes to secure a long-term commitment from Guentzel before he tests out free agency.
The Carolina Hurricanes Will Be the NHL's Most Interesting Team This Offseason
Sara Civian
May 19, 2024
RALEIGH, NORTH CAROLINA - MAY 16: New York Rangers and Carolina Hurricanes players shake hands after Game Six of the Second Round of the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs at PNC Arena on May 16, 2024 in Raleigh, North Carolina. (Photo by Josh Lavallee/NHLI via Getty Images)
Headed into their second-round matchup, the Carolina Hurricanes and New York Rangers were two of the best, most consistent teams in the 2024 NHL playoff field.
Both had elements of a team you could see winning the Stanley Cup: The Canes have built an identity on a sound even-strength, shot-containing and shot-taking game that has kept them perennially contenders for the past six seasons. The Rangers have thrived all season with their best players cashing in on the power play.
In a rare confluence of the old boys' club mentality and the new-school analytics focus on even strength, the Rangers faced criticism for getting so many of their goals on the power play.
The Presidents' Trophy winners are so effective on the man advantage that the oddsmakers heralded them the underdogs of the series despite their winning the most games in the league and being a higher seed. Were they relying too much on the power play?
Nope.
The Rangers won the series in six games and didn't change a thing when it came to their process.
Breaking news, folks: Scoring goals is good in the playoffs because it's a lot harder to do in the postseason. You don't get extra points for scoring at even strength, and the "easier" goals that come with more players on the ice are absolutely essential when battling the best teams in the league.
According to NaturalStatTrick, the Hurricanes had the clear edge at five on five throughout the series. They had a 55.34 percent edge in Corsi, outscored the Rangers 13-12, had a 51.74 percent edge in expected goals and a 62-51 edge in high-danger chances.
They still almost got swept and put themselves in such a hole down 3-0 that despite their hardest efforts or even strength prowess, they fell in Game 6 the exact way the Rangers had been rising: The goals and saves just took less effort for New York.
The two things that sent the Rangers over the edge against the Hurricanes are clear as day: More power-play goals on offense and better goaltending keeping them in the five-on-five game just enough to neutralize the Hurricanes' edge.
The series loss sets up an ominous offseason, featuring a coach, eight crucial free agents and two crucial restricted free agents to sign or let walk.
The Future with Rod Brind'Amour
First, we've got head coach and Jack Adams winner Rod Brind'Amour, whose contract negotiations made the news between the first and second rounds. I reported that the Hurricanes and Brind'Amour were close in negotiations, but the Canes rescinded the offer.
Not that Darren would ever need my backing up but this is accurate. I wouldn't shoot the messenger in Don Waddell either. There's no reason this has had to get to this point when Brind'Amour was just likely asking for around or even lower than market value https://t.co/tDn3jbrpdJ
— Sara 'pepcid ac lover' Civian (@SaraCivian) May 1, 2024
During ESPN's broadcast of the Canucks-Oilers Game 6, insider Kevin Weekes revealed that the 53-year-old agreed to an extension and will be behind the bench again.
Since Tom Dundon took over ownership of the Hurricanes, he's had a hard-nosed philosophy on what he's willing to spend, and negotiating with him can be a tough process. Because of this, he allows most of his staff to interview with other teams (GM Don Waddell interviewed with the Wild a few years back, assistant GM Eric Tulsky has been in various conversations, assistant GM Paul Krepelka moved on to the Panthers, and assistant coach Dean Chynoweth moved on to the Leafs).
Negotiating with Dundon can leak out into the public, partially because the negotiations take longer than an average situation even if he wants to keep the staff member, and partially because some external pressure is needed to move them along.
All this is to say: When Brind'Amour's negotiation troubles were publicized, it didn't mean he was seriously looking elsewhere. It means he is worth more than what he was being offered, and his camp was displeased with the fact that it hadn't yet been settled.
Rod Brind'Amour.
Despite the happy ending, there are nitpicks that need to be directed at the long-time Canes coach for the series loss to New York. Brind'Amour's loyalty to the matchup game and consistent, defensively sound players were a source of criticism throughout the second round, as the Hurricanes were heralded Cup contenders and made the playoffs but missed the Final for the sixth consecutive year.
My take?
1. The power play disappearing completely until Game 4 is incredibly problematic, especially considering it was a top-three power play in the regular season. There's something telegraphic about it that must be fixed. I'd venture some of this is on the staff and also on the personnel. Brind'Amour's on a shorter leash this year, and he may need to budge on certain assistant coaches, but the best players also needed to step up far more than they did.
2. The Hurricanes aren't getting virtually any coach for cheaper than what they want to offer Brind'Amour, let alone a Jack Adams-caliber coach who has rolled with the punches and squeezed career years out of less talented players to make the playoffs every year since he's been head coach. No, it's no longer good enough, but no, it's not all up to him.
3. The second-round exit may have eased negotiations. The Hurricanes had more leverage and Brind'Amour now has more to prove.
4. Brind'Amour returning gives clarity to the players who are free agents.
According to CapFriendly, the Hurricanes will be able to play with around $27.3 million in cap space (keep in mind the cap is set to rise, etc).
You've got pending unrestricted free agents in Jake Guentzel, Jordan Martinook, Stefan Noesen, Teuvo Teravainen, Jalen Chatfield, Tony DeAngelo, Brett Pesce and Brady Skjei. You've got RFAs in Seth Jarvis, Jack Drury and Martin Nečas, with Nečas and Drury eligible for arbitration.
You've seen Guentzel come in and do the exact Rangers-esque thing that's been needed to elevate this team, and you've seen him do it with sometimes oddly limited minutes. Re-signing him should be a top priority, and also getting comfortable enough to let him fully rip, matchups be damned, is essential. He's due for a raise from his modest $6 million AAV, so let's say he roughly eats around $9 million of the remaining cap space.
"This team for sure can win the Stanley Cup," Guentzel told reporters Saturday. "I think it's right there. This puts you in a good spot to do that. I want to do that more than anything, and that's all I care about. That definitely plays a factor into it. Hopefully, you can kind of get some stability and be able to sign here long-term."
With Brind'Amour returning, that could strengthen the case for Carolina to bring Guentzel back.
The Rest of the Free Agents
If we've learned anything this year, we've learned the Canes also need to take care of RFA Seth Jarvis. If it isn't a bridge deal, you're looking at a worst-case scenario of around an $8 million AAV. With those two taken care of, you're down to $10.3 million.
It's simply impossible to keep all of Teuvo Teräväinen, Brett Pesce and Brady Skjei with only $10.3 million to work with, and they all played huge roles in the Hurricanes' success and consistency. Pesce has been seeking a justified opportunity to establish himself as a first-pairing defenseman for years now, and he's likely to be the most expensive and difficult to re-sign of the bunch.
It will be a huge blow to the Canes, but given the desperate market for defensemen right now, it's hard seeing him return. If you lose Pesce, you want to fight to sign Skjei, which will also be difficult.
Brady Skjei and Brett Pesce.
Skjei set a career high for points in the regular season this year with 47, after setting a career high in goals last year with 18. He told reporters Saturday he is seeking a "fair offer," which is probably a modest increase from his current $5.25 AAV. Let's say the Hurricanes are willing to give him around $6 million before letting him walk.
Now you've got around $4.3-$7 million to sign Nečas, Drury, Martinook, Noesen, Teravainen, Chatfield and/or DeAngelo.
It's not a lot of wriggle room, which means there might be trades on the way.
Playing Fantasy GM for the Hurricanes
It's been heavily rumored that Nečas is on the trading block and unlikely to sign an extension in the summer, according to Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman on his 32 Thoughts podcast.
If Carolina cannot sign the 25-year-old, it will be forced to trade Nečas. He's been constantly on the verge of breaking out but needs the room and space the Hurricanes can't give him to explore his talent at center. A change of scenery could help everyone in this scenario, especially if the return is ideally a roster forward on an entry-level contract.
That'll perhaps take away the need to re-sign either Martinook or Noesen. The latter has outplayed his contract and will likely seek a raise (as he should) elsewhere, and Martinook is likely keen on a "hometown," short-term deal. If the alternate captain is willing to keep it to less than $2 million (ideally $1 million), you keep him around.
While Teräväinen might be seeking a raise, and has been a pillar of the team for years—especially next to countryman Sebastian Aho—he has had his ups and downs the past few seasons. Sentiment aside, the danger is to overpay him, regardless of past success. He's got to be in the $6 million range if all of the above stands.
This clearly leaves much to be desired for a team that needs a few more pieces of high talent, not subtraction after subtraction. Perhaps exploring a trade or two either frees up some cap space or results in a "hockey deal" that could provide each team with a need.
Would there be any takers for Jesperi Kotkaniemi at $4.8 million? Friedman did speculate that there could be some thought to buying out the former Canadiens player, but will the team stomach the long length of a buyout?
No matter how it shakes out, the Hurricanes, their just re-signed coach, their slew of free agents and their pressure to succeed in this window will make for the most interesting offseason in the NHL.
Rod Brind'Amour, Hurricanes Agree to Multi-Year Contract Extension After Rangers Loss
May 19, 2024
ELMONT, NEW YORK - APRIL 25: Head coach Rod Brind'Amour of the Carolina Hurricanes speaks with media after a 3-2 victory against the New York Islanders in Game Three of the First Round of the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs at UBS Arena on April 25, 2024 in Elmont, New York. (Photo by Josh Lavallee/NHLI via Getty Images)
The Carolina Hurricanes have agreed to a multi-year extension with head coach Rod Brind'Amour, the team announced Sunday.
The news comes three days after the Hurricanes were eliminated from the second round in six games by the New York Rangers.
Brind'Amour, who won the 2006 Stanley Cup as a player with the Hurricanes, has spent six seasons as Carolina's head coach.
Under his tenure the Hurricanes have earned a 278-130-44 regular-season record and qualified for six straight postseasons.
The Hurricanes have finished first in the Metropolitan Division three times during that span and have topped 110 standing points in each of the past three regular seasons.
The Canes also advanced to two Eastern Conference Finals, most recently in 2023.
Brind'Amour last signed a three-year extension with the Hurricanes in June 2021, just before he was named the Jack Adams Award as the top coach in the NHL.
Assistant coaches Jeff Daniels and Tim Gleason have also been extended for multiple years.
Gleason directs the Hurricanes' penalty kill, the most efficient shorthanded unit in the NHL during the 2023-24 regular season.
Video coach Chris Huffine and goaltending coach Coach Paul Schonfelder also agreed to multi-year extensions.
The men behind the bench aren't the only members of the current Hurricanes core currently set to return to Carolina for the next few years.
Although the Hurricanes have a series of restricted free agent decisions to make this offseason, the team already has core players Sebastian Aho, Andrei Svechnikov and Jesperi Kotkaniemi each locked in for at least the next five seasons.
Aho, Svechnikov and Kotkaniemi's climb back to the third round this postseason was cut short by the President's Trophy-winning Rangers as the team's overall playoff record under Brind'Amour fell to 38-36.
Despite years of regular-season success, the Canes have not returned to the Stanley Cup Final since Brind'Amour led them there in 2006.
Despite another disappointing playoff result for this perennial contender, the extension signals a vote of confidence in Brind'Amour and indicates that Carolina may be planning to run things back with this core for what they hope will be a deeper playoff run in 2025.
Brind'Amour and general manager Don Waddell will address the extensions during Monday's end-of-season press conference at 10 a.m. ET.
Hurricanes Avoid Sweep, Beat Rangers in G3 as NHL Fans Champion Skjei's Late GW Goal
May 12, 2024
RALEIGH, NORTH CAROLINA - MAY 11: Brady Skjei #76 of the Carolina Hurricanes celebrates after scoring a goal against the New York Rangers during the third period in Game Four of the Second Round of the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs at PNC Arena on May 11, 2024 in Raleigh, North Carolina. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
The Carolina Hurricanes' first power-play goal of the second round couldn't have come at a better time.
The New York Rangers were one goal away from sweeping their second straight playoff series Saturday when Brady Skjei rescued the Hurricanes' season by scoring on the man advantage with just over three minutes remaining in regulation.
The Hurricanes won 4-3 at home. New York still leads the series, 3-1.
The deciding goal also marked the first of the playoffs for Skjei, who skated parts of five seasons for the Rangers before he was traded to the Hurricanes in February 2020.
Man what a time for the #CauseChaos power play to come alive
Rangers goaltender Igor Shesterkin kicked aside a 95 mile-per-hour one-timer from Carolina defenseman Dmitry Orlov to keep the score tied late in the third.
Then the Rangers' Ryan Lindgren was called for a tripping penalty with just under four minutes remaining.
After Skjei extended the Hurricanes' season on the ensuing power play, Carolina fans started projecting how the team could come back to win the series:
The Hurricanes will need another win at Madison Square Garden on Monday in order to further extend their playoff run. The puck is set to drop for Game 5 at 7 p.m. ET.
Why the Carolina Hurricanes Are the Scariest Team Heading Into the 2024 NHL Playoffs
Sara Civian
Apr 10, 2024
Jake Guentzel and Evgeny Kuznetsov
There's a phrase that had become so regurgitated and tiresome in the land of the Carolina Hurricanes, that at some point leading up to this season's trade deadline, even the memes were getting old.
If you Google "Carolina Hurricanes" and "We like our group," you'll find a dozen examples of general manager Don Waddell, owner Tom Dundon and head coach Rod Brind'Amour repeating the phrase since the regime took over in 2018.
Then you'll find the backlash—folks frustrated with the juxtaposition of the team making the playoffs every season since 2018 but always stopping short of a win in the Eastern Conference Final. You'll find entire blog posts lamenting this frustration and a CapFriendly Armchair GM team created a month before the trade deadline named "EVIL DON WADDELL BE LIKE WE DONT LIKE OUR GROUP."
Don Waddell
You will find hats and merch, and then you'll finally find good-humored Waddell using the phrase a bit after the trade deadline.
"Like the last three years, I'll start off by saying I really like our group," he said. "But I like it even better today."
The Canes had just deviated from their usual deadline tendencies, acquiring a rental and the biggest name of the deadline in Jake Guentzel. They'd also picked up familiar Metro Division foe Evgeny Kuznetsov.
It's not like they were desperate headed into the deadline. It's just that fans and the players themselves had seen the team finish the regular season with flying colors, hard work and stellar underlying metrics year after year, only to find scoring dried up at some point during the playoffs. Everyone "liked" the group, but resentment was building for those who wanted to "love" the group.
Since the Canes acquired Guentzel, who has 58 points in 58 playoff games, he's immediately put up almost comically good numbers. He's got six goals and 22 points in 15 games alongside Sebastian Aho and Seth Jarvis.
According to NaturalStatTrick, the Canes are outscoring opponents 27-5 (an 84.38 percent clip) when he's on the ice, and 13-3 at five-on-five. The team's beloved Corsi is 60 percent when he's on the ice at five-on-five. Ten of his 16 assists are primary, and most of those are going to the building legend who is Seth Jarvis.
"The team (has been) such a good team, obviously really well-coached," Guentzel told Bleacher Report after Carolina's 4-1 win over the Bruins at TD Garden. "For me, it's playing with special players, and our line has been playing really well. It's been fun for me."
"Can't take the foot off the gas, and we've got to make sure we're ready to go."
— Hurricanes On FanDuel Sports Network (@FDSN_Hurricanes) April 10, 2024
Wait. Did Guentzel just give us the "We like our group" response?
It dawned on me as the Canes picked up their 50th win of the season Tuesday—their third consecutive 50-win campaign—that the only way Carolina wins it all is by staying true to the likable group, this time with a couple of upgrades. When you have an established core group and add difference-makers like Guentzel and Kuznetsov, it's a recipe for a deep postseason run.
The Hurricanes are 50-22-7 in 2023-24, with the fourth-highest points percentage (.677) and the second-most wins of any NHL team. They remained steady all season while others were riding unsustainable hot streaks. While most of the Metropolitan Division has been inconsistent at best, the Canes have only gained more and more steam heading into the playoffs.
Part of this is staying true to what has always found them success: defensive dominance at all ends of the ice. They own the No. 1 penalty kill in the league with an 86.4 percent kill rate. They've got the third-most goals from defensemen in the league. They allow the fewest shots per game at 25.7. This is the Carolina Hurricanes at their best, and it always will be.
Exhibit A of how they get it done was Tuesday night's win in Boston. They held the high-powered Bruins to just 23 shots on goal. Oh, by the way, Andrei Svechnikov is fully healthy and adds another dynamic element to the Canes offensively.
Svech scored a Michigan goal and then pointed at the net when the goal horn didn't go off 🤣 pic.twitter.com/ieMDgU3prX
What's been less talked about is the return of Frederik Andersen, who has gone 8-1-0 with a .954 save percentage since returning from a four-month absence due to deep-vein thrombosis.
Word around the team is Andersen has lifted the spirits of the entire organization with his return, and that his own spirits and emotional investment seem higher than ever. Andersen recently became the winningest goalie in 500 games in NHL history upon his return.
And part of this, of course, was the trade deadline. It wasn't just about the immediate on-ice impact Guentzel and Kuznetsov were having. It's just as much about the vote of confidence the front office put in the group it likes so much—a signal that this is the year. It's shades of the Canes' 2005-06 Stanley Cup team that went out and acquired Mark Recchi and Doug Weight.
"You know that I've said for years what a great group this is," Brind'Amour told me after Tuesday's game. "But we just keep seeming to find new guys, that just—they fit. We're pushing for something special here, and we'll see where it goes."
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