Takeaway 4: Carolina is close to being true contenders
Losing to a superior team once again in the playoffs is a tough pill to swallow, but this Carolina team is close to where they want to be. With the right moves and some luck, the Hurricanes will make a Stanley Cup Final soon.
A conference finals appearance and a singular win are not the ultimate goals of this team. With the context that this was a re-tool season in Carolina, many Hurricanes fans would have taken this outcome at the start of the regular season. With the youth on and about to join the team, alongside potential big-name acquisitions coming soon in the offseason, the Hurricanes' best years are ahead.
There are 28 other NHL teams this season that would swap theirs with the Hurricanes in an instant. Carolina did this without selling future pieces or cap space to accomplish what they did. The core has shown consistency by getting far into the playoffs. Winning a Stanley Cup is hard. The Hurricanes are progressing closer to that next step. Carolina losing to Florida in the conference final does not mean anything more than a dominant team defeating a team that is close but not there yet.