Athletic's 2025-26 Power Rankings

Stumpy · March 3, 2023

2. Carolina Hurricanes

CATEGORY	SCORE
Young core (U23) and prospects	7
Roster	9
Ownership and market	4.5
Management and coaching	8.5
Salary cap situation	8
Total	7.74

The panelists are big believers in what the Hurricanes are doing. They are currently one of the best teams in the league, with good young players such as Andrei Svechnikov and Seth Jarvis forming the foundation of the current roster. They do have a solid farm system as well, and their cap space is efficiently allocated. They have put themselves in a position to succeed now and for a while.

Shayna Goldman on the Hurricanes’ coaching and management: Management has done a really good job of building out the cap structure for the Hurricanes. While it’s starting to get crowded, there’s enough creativity in that front office to make moves that will save some cap — whether it’s opting not to invest in heftier deals the team can manage without, or finding under-the-radar options. As for the coaching, Rod Brind’Amour and his staff have implemented a system that works so well for this team. It’s more than just a system — it’s an identity. An even more positive sign is that the coaches are starting to let skaters like Marty Necas play more to their strengths within that system, so as long as the bench can keep evolving to adjust what’s been working, that should continue to be a strength.

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