The Carolina Hurricanes are Stanley Cup champions for the first time since 2006. Enough living in the present, let’s look to the future.
Can they do it again? Right now, they’re the odds-on favorite to win the title in 2027.
The Canes are in a unique position to repeat as Stanley Cup champs for a variety of reasons. The first being that winning a title twice in a row has been nearly commonplace in the NHL in recent memory. Three different teams have hoisted the Stanley Cup in back-to-back seasons since 2016: the Pittsburgh Penguins (2016, 2017), the Tampa Bay Lightning (2020, 2021) and the Florida Panthers (2024, 2025).
Consistency goes a long way in running it back, and the Hurricanes have been the model of that in the eight seasons under head coach Rod Brind’Amour. No head coach has won more games than Brind’Amour since taking over as the lead man in Raleigh. Carolina has made the postseason in eight straight seasons, winning at least one series each year. The Canes have made it to the conference final in four of the eight seasons.
The knock against Carolina in this time was an inability to win games in the Eastern Conference Final and beyond which, as recent news tells us, is no longer a problem.
But now, the question turns to the roster – championship teams after all often get poached in the offseason, losing players to free agency, struggling to pay every player what they deserve. For Carolina, that won’t be an issue.
According to the NHL’s contract tracker, the Hurricanes have just two players on the playoff roster that are unrestricted free agents entering this offseason, the biggest name being goaltender Frederik Andersen. Andersen went 13-2 in 16 starts this postseason, acting as a pivotal piece for Carolina before giving way to Brandon Bussi in net to finish out the Stanley Cup Final.
Defenseman Mike Reilly is also an unrestricted free agent as well, he played in 42 games this regular season, and two games in the postseason, netting 11 total points. 24-year-old Russian defenseman Alexander Nikishin is a restricted free agent this year, giving the Canes more contractual control. A former third-round pick, Nikishin averages 14:50 time on ice this postseason and was named to the NHL All-rookie team in 2026.
That’s an incredible amount of roster carryover.
General manager Eric Tulsky has proven he’s willing to be aggressive in signings and trade opportunities. According to PuckPedia, the Hurricanes have $11.98 million in cap space to work with for next season, which puts them in the bottom half of the league, but gives them room to work with. In addition, the Canes are tied for the fewest picks in this year’s NHL Draft with four total.
If Carolina stays healthy and gets continued good play in net, the Canes could be right back here in 2027 playing for Lord Stanley’s Cup in Lenovo Center. Here’s a look at the rest of Carolina’s contracts, noting the final season they are currently locked into Carolina:
Forwards
Sebastian Aho – Final season under contract: 2031-32
Nikolaj Ehlers – Final season under contract: 2030-31
Andrei Svechnikov – Final season under contract: 2028-29
Seth Jarvis – Final season under contract: 2031-32
Jesperi Kotkaniemi – Final season under contract: 2029-2030
Taylor Hall – Final season under contract: 2027-2028
Jordan Martinook – Final season under contract: 2026-2027
Jordan Staal – Final season under contract: 2026-2027
William Carrier – Final season under contract: 2029-2030
Eric Robinson – Final season under contract: 2028-2029
Jackson Blake – Final season under contract: 2034-35
Mark Jankowski – Final season under contract: 2027-28
Defense
K’Andre Miller – Final season under contract: 2032-33
Jaccob Slavin – Final season under contract: 2032-33
Sean Walker – Final season under contract: 2028-2029
Shayne Gostisbehere – Final season under contract: 2026-2027
Jalen Chatfield – Final season under contract: 2026-2027
Mike Reilly – Final season under contract: 2025-2026 (unrestricted free agent on July 1)
Alexander Nikishin – Final season under contract: 2025-2026 (restricted free agent)
Goalies
Frederik Andersen – Final season under contract: 2025-2026 (unrestricted free agent on July 1)
Pyotr Kochetkov – Final season under contract: 2026-2027
Brandon Bussi – Final season under contract: 2028-2029
You can check out the contract status of other players in the Canes system here.