The Carolina Hurricanes failed to face their demons in the 2025 NHL Playoffs as they lost to the Florida Panthers in the Eastern Conference Final.
Carolina finished the 2024-25 campaign with 99 points, which placed them second in the Metropolitan Division.
While the Hurricanes had a successful regular season, the expectations were to win the Stanley Cup, and a team that has faced multiple playoff heartbreaks over the past couple of seasons suffered yet another brutal defeat.
Andrei Svechnikov believes their loss to the Panthers this past season was the team’s toughest to date, but there’s still hope and confidence within the organization moving forward.
“I don’t know if I can put it into words but obviously it’s your biggest dream,” Svechnikov said. “You’re getting drafted and playing the junior hockey you go through all that time, and playing seven years in the NHL, and all the time you want to get the Cup.
“I think the last playoff was the hardest one to lose, kind of, because you have a good team and you try to reach for your goal and it just doesn’t happen. But we’ve got a new year and we’ve got a new opportunity.”
Hurricanes general manager Eric Tulsky addressed some of the team’s needs by signing Nikolaj Ehlers and acquiring K’Andre Miller.
Rod Brind'Amour Feels Hurricanes' Offseason Moves Give Them A Chance To Win Stanley Cup The Carolina Hurricanes made two substantial moves this offseason to bolster their roster in pursuit of a Stanley Cup.
These new additions intrigue and excite Svechnikov, as he’s looking forward to sharing the ice with them in September for training camp and beyond.
“I’m very excited,” Svechnikov said. “I think we got a lot better this offseason. Obviously we’ve got to get together and build the chemistry and all that stuff, and the new guys got to learn the system. But they’re some of the best players in this league and excited to have them and see how it’s going to work for us.”
Now, we just wait until everyone’s expectations and thoughts about this new-look Hurricanes team play out in real time.