The Carolina Hurricanes have fought bravely in recent seasons to make it to the Stanley Cup Final. The Hurricanes have stocked up for a shot at the highest prize in sports after losing in the 2023 postseason.
In the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs, the cards were undoubtedly stacked against the Hurricanes. With top winger Andrei Svechnikov sidelined for the season with a knee ailment, the club lost summer addition Max Pacioretty to an Achilles injury.
Even yet, the Hurricanes triumphed against the New York Islanders and even the New Jersey Devils throughout the postseason. Sadly, the Florida Panthers were a buzzsaw for the Hurricanes, and they were swept in the Eastern Conference Final.
When healthy, this organization had already established itself as one of the top NHL squads. Even with the skill Carolina already possessed, they made several headline-grabbing moves in the summer to build up their arsenal even more.
Carolina made the following changes during the 2023 offseason:
- Forward Michael Bunting was signed in free agency to a three-year, $13.5 million deal.
- Signed free agent defender Dmitry Orlov to a two-year, $15.5 million deal.
- Re-signed free-agent goalies Antti Raanta (one year, $1.5 million) and Frederik Andersen (two years, $6.8 million).
Tony DeAngelo, a defenceman, was acquired in a trade with the Philadelphia Flyers.
The signing of winger Michael Bunting by the Hurricanes in free agency was one of the more underappreciated transactions of the summer. Buntingprospered during the previous two seasons with the Toronto Maple Leafs after playing his first two NHL seasons with the Arizona Coyotes, tallying 112 points (46 goals and 66 assists) in that time.
They have a long history of closeness. According to Bunting, who spoke to NHL Network in July, the Stanley Cup is the league’s ultimate prize. “Once Carolina entered and expressed curiosity, I was also quite fascinated. They have reached the Eastern Conference Final in the previous two years and now need to go on to the following stage. I’m hopeful I can assist them in getting through this next obstacle.
Bunting will join Sebastian Aho and Seth Jarvis on Carolina’s starting left-wing line. He’s done it many times before since he used to play on the top line for the Maple Leafs with Mitch Marner and Auston Matthews. In addition to Bunting, the signing of defenseman Dmitry Orlov in free agency may have been the most significant move of the summer.
Over the previous few seasons, the Hurricanes have sincerely attempted to strengthen their defense. The squad now has Orlov to skate alongside offensively oriented blue-liner Brent Burns as the league’s best defensive tandem after acquiring Burns in the previous offseason.
It’s a major issue since Orlov just completed a 36-point season, a career-high while playing for both the Boston Bruins and Washington Capitals. For a defenseman who has always shown exceptional vision on the ice, Orlov’s 29 assists were also a career-best.
For a 32-year-old defenseman, this contract is also highly team-friendly because it just has a two-year duration. Additionally, Orlov joins a defense core among the best in the NHL in 2022–2023. The Hurricanes killed off 84.09 percent of their penalties, which was second in the NHL, and they allowed the second-fewest goals per game (2.53).
In the second half of the 2022–23 season, Orlov truly flourished with the Bruins, and that shouldn’t change with defensemen like Burns, Brady Skjei, and Brett Pesce around Carolina’s top four forwards.
Orlov will also compete against other goalies that the Hurricanes have used in the past few campaigns. Given that both Frederik Andersen and Antti Raanta were expected to become free agents, it seemed plausible that Carolina would decide to start goalie Pyotr Kochetkov, a youngster. After all, Kochetkov enjoyed a fantastic debut season, compiling a record of 12-7-5, a goals-against-average of 2.44, and a save percentage of.909 in 24 games.
But the Hurricanes decided to re-sign Andersen and Raanta for shorter contracts. Perhaps that shouldn’t have been a surprise, given that Carolina wants to win the Stanley Cup. Since moving to Carolina in 2021, Andersen has established himself as a highly capable goaltender while in good condition.
Andersen has a 56-25-4 record, a 2.29 goals-against average, and a.915 save percentage throughout that span. The veteran goaltender’s toughest challenge has been maintaining a clear medical history. In his two seasons with the Hurricanes, Andersen has played in just 86 games, missing two months in 2022–23 due to a lower-body ailment.
Everything the Hurricanes can do in 2023–24 is possible if Andersen remains healthy.
The Hurricanes already had a loaded squad with Aho, Burns, Svechnikov, and Martin Necas, but they added a ton of quality in the summer. A Stanley Cup run might happen if this bunch stays healthy throughout the 2023–24 season.
