Trying to guess what will happen during an NHL season is a fruitless activity. No matter how hard you try, you're destined to be wrong more than you're right. However, that won't stop us and all of the analysts in the hockey community from trying our hand at it. The Carolina Hurricanes are locked and loaded to begin their season on Tuesday, so here are five things were hoping to see by the end of it.
1. The Hurricanes will have three 30-goal scorers
While the Hurricanes are known for being a stout defensive team, their offense can often be overlooked. The Canes had the second-best offense in the league a season ago, finishing seven goals behind the Colorado Avalanche. Seth Jarvis and Andrei Svechnikov were the only 30-goal scorers on the roster, with Jarvis leading the team for the second season in a row.
The franchise hasn't had three players finish with at least 30 goals in the same season since doing so in 2006-07. They nearly did it last season, but Sebastian Aho fell three goals short. This year, it could be tough with Jarvis on the shelf to start, but there's no shortage of options to reach 30 goals. Aho, Svechnikov, Jackson Blake, and Nikolaj Ehlers are capable scorers. It's very feasible.
2. The Hurricanes will finish in the Top 10 in save percentage
Carolina is the best shot suppression team in the league, and that's not a matter of opinion. The Canes have finished with the fewest shots allowed during each of the last five seasons. They were one of two teams to allow fewer than 2,000 shots last year, along with the Vegas Golden Knights. They've been in the Top 10 in each year under Rod Brind'Amour, and the same goes for goals against.
Year | Shots Against | Goals Against | Save Percentage |
|---|---|---|---|
2018-19 | 2343 (3rd) | 221 (7th) | .906 (13th) |
2019-20 (68 games) | 1994 (2nd) | 193 (9th) | .903 (17th) |
2020-21(56 games) | 1581 (8th) | 134 (5th) | .915 (3rd) |
2021-22 | 2310 (1st) | 200 (1st) | .913 (3rd) |
2022-23 | 2132 (1st) | 210 (2nd) | .902 (12th) |
2023-24 | 2101 (1st) | 211 (4th) | .900 (13th) |
2024-25 | 2044 (1st) | 230 (10th) | .887 (24th) |
2025-26 | 1961 (1st) | 236 (6th) | .880 (26th) |
However, you'll notice on this chart that their save percentages over the last five years have fallen significantly. They owned the worst save percentage of the 16 playoff teams a year ago, a trend that is hard to ignore. This season, Brandon Bussi, Pyotr Kochetkov, and whoever else is called upon will turn the ship around. I have confidence in this team's goaltending to regain its form for 84 games.
3. The Hurricanes will have the highest PP%+PK% in the NHL
Color analyst Tripp Tracy provides excellent insight during each broadcast, and one thing he's often cited as saying is that, ideally, your power play and penalty kill percentages will total over 100 percent combined for the season. It's not a perfect indication of a team's success, but ten of the top 13 teams in the league in this discipline reached the postseason last year.
The Hurricanes finished fifth in2025-26, with their power play and penalty kill combining to finish at over 105 percent. They were a little over three percent behind the top spot, held by Dallas. Their power play ranked fourth in the league, while their penalty kill fell outside of the Top 10. A return to form on the kill, paired with another good year on the power play, should put the Canes back on top.
4. The Hurricanes will win the Metropolitan Division by at least 8 points
Last season, the Canes won their first division title since 2023, besting the Pittsburgh Penguins by 15 points, the largest advantage of the four division winners. There is plenty of reason for optimism that the Canes will repeat as the division champs, even with some teams making big improvements to compete with them.
I don't think the gap between first and second will be nearly that wide, but the Hurricanes should still be considered the cream of the crop in the Metro. The goal should be to lock up the division crown by the beginning of April, allowing the group to rest their best players before attempting another long playoff run. With as open as the division is, the Canes can capitalize on a lot of uncertainty.
5. The Hurricanes will repeat as the Prince of Wales champions
There have long been expectations placed on the Carolina Hurricanes to perform in the postseason. Before last season, the Canes failed to meet those expectations, having their seasons ended in the second round or without much of a fight in the Eastern Conference Finals. The Canes corrected that by finally changing the narrative and winning the Stanley Cup.
Obviously, the storybook path would feature the Hurricanes coming face-to-face with the Florida Panthers and battling for the Prince of Wales Trophy, with the Canes finally besting their heated adversaries. Then again, I'd be perfectly fine with them facing anyone, so long as it ends the same way as it did last year: with Carolina taking a celebratory photo and heading to the Stanley Cup Final.
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