To begin our season grades for the 2025-26 Carolina Hurricanes, we took a look at the bottom of the forward group. While they aren't known for their scoring, each of the players we talked about served their roles to perfection for the Hurricanes, both during the regular season and the playoffs. Now, we're going to talk about the players who are paid to score goals.
We can scream until we're blue in the face about how important role players are to a team's success. However, you also need top-end players who will put the puck in the net or will put their teammates in a position to do so. Admittedly, we're about to see some pretty high grades for these seven players, but they were all earned.
Taylor Hall
His production this season might not have been that of a Hart winner, but there's a reason why the Hurricanes really wanted Taylor Hall on their team. Still, 18 goals and 48 points are nothing to scoff at for the 34-year-old. Hall was all over the lineup for a good part of the season, but he found a home on the second line next to two of the team's youngest players. Their chemistry was vital in the playoffs.
Given everything that he did for the Canes this postseason, I felt that Hall had a legitimate claim to the Conn Smythe Trophy. He finished second on the team in points (19). He had 12 points through the first two rounds, including an OT winner in Game 2 of the 2nd Round. The cherry on top was Hall scoring the opening goal of Game 6 in Vegas, a goal which served as the series-clinching strike.
Final Grade: A
Jackson Blake
In his second full season as an NHLer, Jackson Blake had high expectations placed on his shoulders. With one year left on his rookie deal before his extension kicked in, everyone needed to know whether Blake was the real deal. As it turns out, he was. Blake was a constant sparkplug for the group, finishing fifth in goals (22) and points (53) during the regular season.
Like his linemates, Blake went on a tear during the playoffs. He posted a team-best 20 points, finishing third in the league in scoring, bolstered by a team-high 13 assists. He scored the series-winning goal in Philadelphia in Game 4. Blake also had a franchise-record seven multi-point games. Any concerns about whether he's ready to make the next step have disappeared.
Final Grade: A+
Logan Stankoven
While Blake was feeling some pressure, the spotlight on Logan Stankoven was even brighter. Getting a chance to be the team's second-line center, it was imperative that he figured it out. Clearly, the team liked what they saw, refusing to make a move at the trade deadline and sticking with him in the middle. Stankoven recorded 21 goals and 44 points, but he was unbelievable during the playoffs.
Stankoven started the postseason on a five-game goal streak and finished with the most on the team (11) by the end of their run. If the team needed a big goal or a spark, it was usually his line getting the job done. Six of his 16 points came in closeout games. Most importantly, his face-off numbers improved from the regular season to the postseason, though it remains an area he must improve in.
Final Grade: A
Nikolaj Ehlers
Every day, Hurricanes fans wake up grateful that Nikolaj Ehlers chose Raleigh. People were dogging him for his slow start, but once he got hot, there was little stopping him. During a fully healthy regular season, Ehlers scored his most goals in four years (26) and topped 70 points for the first time in his career. His 45 assists and 71 points were the second-most on the team. He also had two hat tricks.
Mirroring his regular season, Ehlers started slowly in the playoffs. He missed Game 4 in Ottawa with an injury and had just four points through two rounds. However, his two-goal performance in Game 2 against Montreal turned it all around. Ehlers recorded 14 points over the final ten games, including a team-high nine points in the Stanley Cup Final. He was third on the team with 18 points in 19 games.
Final Grade: A+
Seth Jarvis
At this point, Seth Jarvis has become the pinnacle of consistency for the Hurricanes. For the third season in a row, Jarvis topped 30 goals, becoming the sixth player in franchise history to do so. There's no doubt that he tops his previous highs if he doesn't get hurt in December, but 32 goals and 66 points are still very good. Not to mention that he represented Canada in the Olympics.
His postseason was quieter, and it'll be the reason I deduct points from the top line. It was clear that he was hurt, as evidenced by his post-season surgery. Still, he scored a big goal in Game 2 against the Flyers, and his best came in Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final, finding the back of the net in overtime to knot the series. His 11 points were low, but it's understandable, knowing what we know.
Final Grade: A- (A if we took his silver medal into consideration)
Andrei Svechnikov
There were reports that Andrei Svechnikov might want a trade after he got off to a slow start this season. In hindsight, that's a little funny. It took him nine games to score, and once he did, it kept coming. Svechnikov recorded a career-high 31 goals and 70 points this season, finishing second and third on the team in each category. He also accounted for the only other hat trick of the season.
Svechnikov didn't have a point against Ottawa, but he followed it by scoring at least one point in nine of the final 15 games. Svechnikov scored the overtime winner in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals, turning the series in Carolina's favor, and found the back of the net twice on the power play in Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final. His 11 points felt small, but his scoring was very timely.
Final Grade: A-
Sebastian Aho
We can talk about the importance of so many players, but I don't think anyone is more important to this team's offensive structure than Sebastian Aho. This season, he led the Hurricanes in assists (53) and points (80). Aho had 21 multi-point games, including his second five-point outing on New Year's Day. It's his second-worst goals-per-game campaign, but he still finished with a point-per-game.
His line was not very productive early in the postseason. While he scored three times against Ottawa, two of them were into the empty net in Game 4. However, Aho always has a knack for producing in big moments. His line was much better over the final two rounds. Aho finished with 12 points, leading his trio, and was, rightfully, the first homegrown player to hoist the Stanley Cup.
Final Grade: A- (A if we took his bronze medal into consideration)
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