Carolina Hurricanes News

Carolina will make an early attempt to get a first bid at coveted free agent defensemen John Carlson after it was announced mid draft Saturday that the Hurricanes had acquired the rights to Carlson from Anaheim for Kyle Masters and the 192nd pick in the 2026 draft. At the moment, the 36-year-old had not committed to the Hurricanes but would make a massive addition if he were to sign with the Stanley Cup Champions. He is entering his 18th NHL season after putting up 14 goals and 60 points in 71 games last season.

Jarvis underwent shoulder surgery after the Hurricanes' Stanley Cup win and will need at least four months of recovery. That puts him out until at least late-October to late-December. GM Eric Tulsky said "there's a very real chance that we end up with sort of an open spot in our lineup for a month or two for a young player to step in and get an opportunity to show what he can do." So expect Jarvis to be sidelined when the Hurricanes open their season in the fall.

Robinson underwent offseason knee surgery and is expected to rehab for up to two months, which should give him plenty of time to get back to 100 percent before training camp in the fall. Robinson finished the 2026 season with 18 points (12G / 6A) in 67 games and added eight points (3G / 5A) in 19 playoff games during the Hurricanes' Stanley Cup winning run.

Valimaki was a 16th-round pick of the Calgary Flames in the 2017 NHL Entry Draft, but he spent the entirety of the 2025-26 season in the AHL, scoring 23 points (7G / 16A) in 27 games. The 27-year-old defenseman has had some success at the NHL level, including an impressive 34-point campaign (4G / 30A) in the 2022-23 season in 78 games with the Arizona Coyotes.

Deslauriers' announcement of his two-year extension will go down in the history books after the 35-year-old announced his two-year, $875,000 AAV ($1.75 Million total) contract during Carolina's Stanley Cup Parade. The bruising forward only appeared in seven games with Carolina after being acquired at the trade deadline but still managed to finish his 2025-26 season with two assists, 38 PIMs and a -3 plus/minus across 31 games played.

Bussi stopped 23 of 25 shots in the Hurricanes' 4-2 win over the Golden Knights in Game 5. Since entering the series in Game 3, Bussi has turned aside 59 of the 65 shots that he's faced (.908 SV%), stopping 2.48 goals above expected. He's been great, and has positioned the Hurricanes to win the Stanley Cup in Vegas on Sunday. Bussi and the Hurricanes enter Game 6 as -114 road favourites.

Bussi stopped 23 of 25 shots in the Hurricanes' 4-2 win over the Golden Knights in Game 5. Since entering the series in Game 3, Bussi has turned aside 59 of the 65 shots that he's faced (.908 SV%), stopping 2.48 goals above expected. He's been great, and has positioned the Hurricanes to win the Stanley Cup in Vegas on Sunday. Bussi and the Hurricanes enter Game 6 as -114 road favourites.

Frederik Andersen was near-perfect in the opening three rounds of the postseason, but has struggled in the Stanley Cup Finals, leading to Brandon Bussi relieving him in Game Three for his first postseason appearance in an eventual 5-4 overtime loss. The 27-year-old went on to make his first postseason start in Game Four, helping his team even the series at 2-2 with a 5-3 victory. Bussi has saved 36 of 40 shots (.900 SV%) in his two appearances and will likely return to the crease in a pivotal Game Five. The Hurricanes enter Thursday's contest as -151 home favourites against the Vegas Golden Knights.

Frederik Andersen was near-perfect in the opening three rounds of the postseason, but has struggled in the Stanley Cup Finals, leading to Brandon Bussi relieving him in Game Three for his first postseason appearance in an eventual 5-4 overtime loss. The 27-year-old went on to make his first postseason start in Game Four, helping his team even the series at 2-2 with a 5-3 victory. Bussi has saved 36 of 40 shots (.900 SV%) in his two appearances and will likely return to the crease in a pivotal Game Five. The Hurricanes enter Thursday's contest as -151 home favourites against the Vegas Golden Knights.

Kochetkov will dress for the first time in these Stanley Cup Playoffs as Frederik Andersen is listed as a scratch. Kochetkov himself missed most of the regular season due to injury, appearing in just nine games.

Bussi will make his first start of the Stanley Cup Playoffs on Monday after relieving Frederik Andersen at the start of the third period in Game 3. Bussi stopped the first 18 shots he faced in that game before a bad-bounce in the second period of overtime resulted in a game-winning goal for Shea Theodore and the Golden Knights. The Hurricanes enter action in Game 4 at -110 on the money line.

The Hurricanes selected Fransen in the third round (No.69 overall) in 2024. The 20-year-old defenseman split the 2026 season between the SHL and HockeyAllsvenskan. He had one goal and one assist in 13 SHL games and added 14 points (6G / 8A) in 38 HockeyAllsvenskan games. GM Eric Tulsky said the Hurricanes are looking forward to seeing him in North America next season,” so expect him to report to the Chicago Wolves (AHL) next fall.

Cerrato was a second-round pick, 49th overall, of the Carolina Hurricanes in the 2025 NHL Entry Draft. The 21-year-old forward recently completed his second season with Pennsylvania State University, where he scored 27 points (7G / 20A) in 23 games. Most recently, he was on a professional tryout with the Chicago Wolves (AHL), helping him earn his entry-level contract.

Jankowski has had trouble being an NHL regular in recent years, but found a home in Carolina this season, and has been rewarded with a two-year contract extension. The 31-year-old forward scored 21 points (11G / 10A) this season in 68 games, his highest total since 2018-19.

Nikishin has not played since receiving a thunderous hit from Tyler Kleven of the Ottawa Senators nearly two weeks ago. That said, Nikishin should return to the lineup for Game Three against the Philadelphia Flyers. Mike Reilly will exit the lineup to accommodate Nikishin's return.

Nikishin has not played since receiving a thunderous hit from Tyler Kleven of the Ottawa Senators nearly two weeks ago. That said, a break between play, Nikishin has only missed two games, and could return to the lineup for Game Three against the Philadelphia Flyers.

Even with Alexander Nikishin (concussion) unavailable, Legault sat as a healthy scratch in Game 1 vs. the Flyers. So he'll report to Chicago, who are in the middle of the Calder Cup Playoffs. This is also a sign that Nikishin is ready-to-go, but the Hurricanes will stick with what worked in Game 1.

Just like he did in Game 1, Nikishin was on the ice for Monday's morning skate but will not play in Game 2. This is likely a combination of taking caution with a concussion and not wanting to change a lineup that won 3-0 in Game 1. Nikishin should be ready to go in Game 3 should the Hurricanes require his services.

Nikishin had to be helped off of the ice in the Hurricanes' series clinching win in Ottawa last Saturday, and will miss Game 1 vs. the Flyers as he continues to recover from a concussion. Mike Reilly will draw into the lineup to replace Nikishin.

Ehlers missed Game 4 vs. the Senators but was a full participant in practice the last two days, and is expected to play in Game 1 on Saturday night. Ehlers finished Round 1 with one assist and seven shots on goal in his three games.