The day we have all been waiting for since the spring is finally upon us. The Carolina Hurricanes open the 2024-25 NHL season by hosting the Tampa Bay Lightning at the newly named, Lenovo Center. All the work has been put in by the front office, support staff, coaches, and players. Now all that needs to happen is have the puck drop and let the madness of another Canes season begin.
The talk of contracts, trades, and new general managers are all in the past and the focus is on the ice with the team playing its first and only game of this week. The game tomorrow has been postponed to another day due to the damage affecting the Tampa Bay area after Hurricane Milton.
The new faces will be Sean Walker, William Carrier, Jack Roslovic, and Shayne Gostisbehere. Jackson Blake will join the team as well, which brings a different dynamic to the fourth line. Among the familiar faces on the ice this evening will be Tampa Bay's big free-agent acquisition, Jake Guentzel. I am sure Caniacs will give him a "warm" welcome back to Raleigh.
The goaltender will be a familiar face but it will be a surprise by Rod Brind'Amour to see if it is Frederik Andersen or Pyotr Kochetkov. This appears to be Kochetkov's season to take over the top netminder position.
Tampa Bay will be a tough opponent tonight but with the loss of their captain this summer, Victor Hedman will become the new leader of the franchise. This team is still powerful and healthy at the moment.
This season will be a mix of emotions as fans mourn the departures of some long-time Canes but the new faces will be exciting and the younger players like Seth Jarvis, Andrei Svechnikov, and Martin Necas will look to take on larger roles.
Unlike the start of last season, this team is not in a "Stanley Cup or bust" mode. The team has a very strong chance to get back to the playoffs and compete, but that will be determined by the chemistry and production from younger players. The defense should not skip a beat as Gostisbehere and Walker are extremely talented and "Ghost" already knows Brind'Amour's system.
Make no doubt about it, this is a good hockey team but as the beginning of the season starts, have some patience with the new-look roster and some players getting comfortable. It is a long season and this team will be in the hunt when March rolls around.