4. 2000-01
After a disappointing campaign in their first season in Raleigh at the EA Sports Arena in 1999-00, the Canes responded in a big way under Paul Maurice in 2000-01. They finished with a 38-32-9-3 record on the way to a second place seeding in the Southeast Division.
Arturs Irbe saw a dramatic drop in his stats from the season before, but he still was very solid between the pipes. Considering backup goaltender Tyler Moss posted a save percentage of .853, the Canes needed Irbe to play in as many games as possible.
The New Jersey Devils and Canes started what would become a small rivalry in the NHL Playoffs during the 2000-01 season. New Jersey would eventually lose to Joe Sakic, Patrick Roy, and Peter Forsberg and a crazy good Colorado Avalanche team.
Yet, this was the first stepping stone on the way to a Stanley Cup Finals appearance against the Detroit Red Wings in the following season.