I will continue to shout from the mountaintops about how the Carolina Hurricanes are playing in the Stanley Cup Final this season. I'm a little excited. The Canes have made quick work of every team thrown in their path. They have looked like a well-oiled machine thus far. A lot of that is because of the work of General Manager Eric Tulsky.
Since taking over in 2024, Tulsky has overseen two full seasons with the Hurricanes, and the work he has done to get the team to this point can't be overstated. The Canes have long had an identity under Rod Brind'Amour, outlining how they were expected to prepare and perform. Tulsky understood that vision and has made his moves accordingly. With four wins, his work could be paid off.
Tulsky faced some tough issues during his first summer in charge
Tulsky can't take full credit for how the roster is constructed. Some players were in place before he took over. The Canes have hit on several draft picks, like Sebastian Aho, Jaccob Slavin, Jackson Blake, Seth Jarvis, Andrei Svechnikov, and Alexander Nikishin. There were also trades, like Jordan Staal and Jordan Martinook, or signings, like Frederik Andersen and Jalen Chatfield from years prior.
Tulsky officially took over as the permanent GM on June 18, 2024, shortly before the 2024 Draft. He was immediately thrown into the fire to negotiate a new deal with Jake Guentzel, but when nothing could be reached, Tulsky made sure the Canes got something for him, trading him to Tampa Bay for a third-round pick in 2025. It was a tough first deal to make.
Along with Guentzel, the Canes were expected to lose Brett Pesce, Brady Skjei, Teuvo Teravainen, Stefan Noesen, and more to free agency. In their place, Tulsky signed Sean Walker and Shayne Gostisbehere to be the team's new defensive pair, while Eric Robinson and William Carrier were added to provide depth to the bottom of the lineup. On paper, it didn't feel like much.
In execution, however, the Canes knocked this out of the park. Walker and Gostisbehere played together last season, but they were split at the start of this year. Both have thrived in their roles. Robinson set new offensive bests last season. His line, which also features Carrier, was the team's best during the Eastern Conference Finals this season.
The Rantanen trade is the deal that keeps on giving for Carolina
The biggest wave that Tulsky has made during his short tenure came on January 24, 2025, a little over seven months after taking over. Of course, that was the night that he took a massive swing by acquiring Mikko Rantanen from the Colorado Avalanche for Martin Necas, Jack Drury, and some picks. Along with it, he added Taylor Hall from the Blackhawks for a pick.
This beautiful trainwreck of an experiment with Rantanen led to another move at the 2025 trade deadline. Tulsky sent Rantanen to Dallas for Logan Stankoven, two first-round picks, and two third-round picks. That same day, Tulsky made a smaller deal with Nashville, acquiring Mark Jankowski from the Predators for a late-round selection.
This series of trades led to the addition of two-thirds of the team's best line in the playoffs. Stankoven can't stop putting the puck in the net, sitting third in the league in goals this postseason (9). Hall is looking like the best version of himself that we've seen in a long time, leading the team in points (18). We can't forget about Jankowski, the man in the middle of the fourth line, who has fit in seamlessly.
The Rantanen trade tree grew another branch this offseason when they sent Dallas' first-round pick this season to the Rangers in a sign-and-trade for K'Andre Miller. Nikolaj Ehlers was soon to follow as a free agent, choosing to sign with the Canes after long-standing interest from the organization. The last piece to the puzzle was adding Brandon Bussi off waivers shortly before the regular season.
What has this trio done this season? Bussi couldn't stop making NHL history this season. Ehlers recorded his first 70-point season and was excellent in the conference finals. Miller has been one of the unsung heroes of the playoffs, providing eight assists and outstanding defense, especially at 5-on-5. All in all, this team has been built to near-perfection.
It makes you wonder why he wasn't a finalist for the Jim Gregory Award
Seasons and careers shouldn't be judged by individual hardware, especially when you're associated with the Carolina Hurricanes. A Hurricane rarely gets nominated for anything, let alone some of the bigger awards that the league hands out. Still, with everything we have just talked about, there is a strong case to suggest that Tulsky should have been one of the finalists for the Jim Gregory Award.
Given to the top General Manager each season, the award is voted on by all 32 GMs around the league as well as a few league executives and media members. This year, all three finalists came from the Western Conference, with Anaheim's Pat Verbeek, Colorado's Chris McFarland, and Minnesota's Bill Guerin vying for the honor.
It's a little surprising that all three came from the same conference, but all three are incredibly deserving. That being said, Tulsky should be right up there with them. The work he has done to construct a good portion of this roster in such a short period has been incredible. Maybe he'll earn his flowers at some point soon.
Until then, Tulsky will watch with anticipation as his team takes the ice for the first game of the Stanley Cup Final on Tuesday. It has been a hard road to the final series, and while it would be great to see the Hurricanes bring Lord Stanley back to Raleigh, he knows that their championship window is just opening. This team should be a title threat for years to come.
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