The Carolina Hurricanes are preparing for the 2025-26 NHL season following an offseason marked by roster improvements and long-term commitments to key players. The team’s front office, led by General Manager Eric Tulsky, has focused on strengthening the core lineup while maintaining future flexibility.
“Until we have the 20 best players in the league, there’s still room to get better, and we’re going to keep working towards that,” Tulsky said, setting the tone for the summer’s activities.
During the offseason, Carolina made significant additions with K’Andre Miller and Nikolaj Ehlers joining a largely returning group of players. These moves were seen as supplementing a strong foundation from last season’s playoff run. The organization now has 12 players signed for at least four more seasons, including Sebastian Aho, Seth Jarvis, Jaccob Slavin, among others.
“Those [12] players represent 65% of our scoring from last year, plus Ehlers and Miller [are] adding onto that. We’ve got a core here that is really solid, and the other thing about it is that those players are an average age of 26 years old,” Tulsky stated. “Part of what we’ve done here is we’ve put ourselves in a position where we know we’re not going to have our core eroded by the salary cap, because we have the players signed and in place. We know it’s not going to be eroded by age, because they’re not at a place where we worry about that yet.”
Tulsky also noted that with over $10 million in available salary cap space, Carolina retains options for further additions during the season or ahead of trade deadlines. “We put ourselves in a position to keep adding. We have room to keep finding ways to bring more players in and keep building on this,” he said. “That’s a rare opportunity for a team that’s as good as we are and as good as we’ve been for as long as we’ve had. To keep having room to take steps forward is an opportunity that I’m really excited about.”
Jackson Blake and Logan Stankoven also agreed to eight-year contract extensions with average annual values between $5-6 million each. This approach aligns with management’s strategy of securing talent early at potentially favorable rates before they reach free agency.
“I think Eric and the staff do an unbelievable job of what they do. To bring in guys like Ehlers and K’Andre [Miller], I know they haven’t played a game with the Canes yet, but they’re two unbelievable players,” Blake commented during media availability. “K’Andre’s a Minnesota guy, so I got to watch him growing up a little bit when he played at Minnetonka and Ehlers is one of the best players in the league, I would say. Two unbelievable guys. Stankoven, that guy’s one of my buddies, so to have him do a similar thing (signing an eight-year extension), it’s awesome and I’m excited for the future with those guys.”
Analysts project that Carolina’s current contracts will account for only 44% of the salary cap by 2027-28 if projected increases materialize—allowing continued roster flexibility.
Commentators such as Sara Civian praised Carolina’s ability to improve despite limited options on the market: “The Hurricanes managed to squeeze something out of a desolate market and improve the team across the entire lineup. Plus, it feels like these deals are going to age quite well.” Ryan S. Clark and Kristen Shilton added: “What Carolina has done is more than enough to put them back as odds-on favorites to make another Eastern Conference finals appearance — or beyond.” Another longtime insider remarked: “In terms of having a combination of (being) able to win now and the future set up perfectly, and all sorts of flexibility when it comes to cap and prospects…are in an absolutely perfect position to contend for the next 10 years.”
Karl Rasmussen noted Ehlers’ signing was significant given his status among available free agents: “Nikolaj Ehlers was widely regarded as the next best option on the market after the Marner trade…Ehlers ended up signing a six-year, $51 million deal ($8.5M AAV) with the Hurricanes…Additionally, Carolina traded for restricted free agent K’Andre Miller from the New York Rangers and signed him to a long-term extension. He’s young and has plenty of upside, and will also help in their immediate pursuit of a Cup. Great business from the Canes.”
With most key contributors under contract into their prime years—and additional financial flexibility—the Hurricanes aim both for immediate competitiveness this coming season and sustained success over several years.
