The dog days of summer keep dragging on; however, at least there are only 47 days left until the start of the 2025-26 season. Regarding the Carolina Hurricanes, high expectations are going into the upcoming season. They’re being looked upon as one of the teams to win the Metropolitan Division and make a significant run in the playoffs. Under Rod Brind’Amour, they’ve won the first round seven consecutive seasons, and been to the Eastern Conference Final three times over that span (two in the last three). While predictions can become familiar, sometimes there needs to be bold predictions. That said, what could three of those be for the Hurricanes in 2025-26?
How Bold Can We Go?
3. Shayne Gostisbehere Breaks Single-Season Point Total for a Defenseman (Since Relocation)
After tallying 45 points in his first season with the Hurricanes in 2024-25, defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere has a chance to reset the record books. The record in question is the most points in a single season for a defenseman. It was set by Brent Burns (61) during the 2022-23 season. Burns broke the record that was set the previous season in 2021-22 (51). Gostisbehere has the best chance of the current Hurricanes defensemen to break the record; the thing is, however, he needs to avoid injuries. He only played in 70 games last season, some due to rest before the playoffs and some due to injury. If Gostisbehere stays healthy, there is a chance he could snag the record in 2025-26.
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Gostisbehere tallied seven goals and 38 assists last season. If he can manage to get around 13 goals, he has a chance to break the record. Burns had 18 goals and 43 assists when he tallied his 61 a few seasons back. Gostisbehere would have to collect 49 assists to get to 62 to break the points record, if he stays at 13 goals. If he manages 15, he would need at least 47. By adding eight goals and nine extra assists, Gostisbehere could be knocking on the door for a new franchise record since the team relocated to Raleigh in 1997. Can he do it? There is a good chance that he will add 10 more games played this upcoming season compared to the 70 he played in 2024-25. It is a big task, but give Gostisbehere a second full season, one where he is healthy, and he could rewrite the record books for the Hurricanes.
2. Seth Jarvis Totals 80 Points
Seth Jarvis had a stellar season in 2024-25, one that saw him set a new career high in assists (35), while tying his point total (67). He managed that point total after missing seven games due to re-aggravating his shoulder, which he had torn the previous season. Jarvis looked to be on a pace that could have seen him tally at least 75 points. Going into the 2025-26 season, if he manages to stay somewhat healthy and not miss games, he could reach the 80-point plateau for the Hurricanes. While he would only need 13 points to go from 67 to 80, it is not out of the realm of possibility.
Jarvis played in 73 games last season, leading the Hurricanes in goals (32) and shorthanded goals (five). During the 2023-24 season, he tore his shoulder and played through it for over 60 games. He finished with 33 goals and 67 points. If he plays around that same number of games with the scoring pace he had in 2024-25, there is no reason why he couldn’t go from 67 to 80 points from one season to the next. Even if he has not hit the 70-point mark, Jarvis has proven that he can score at will and can go on runs that see him tally multi-point nights weekly. If he can manage the shoulder and scoring pace, we could see an 80-point campaign from Jarvis in 2025-26.
1. Hurricanes Claim Top Seed in the Eastern Conference
This last one could be the toughest to achieve, but then why make bold predictions if chances or claims aren’t taken? When it comes to the Eastern Conference, the consensus will be that it runs through the Florida Panthers. While that could be the case, do not count out the Hurricanes to make some noise in 2025-26. The Panthers are pretty much running it back with the same team that won the Stanley Cup this past summer, minus a couple of guys going elsewhere. However, the Hurricanes did get better in the offseason. They added Nikolaj Ehlers and K’Andre Miller in the first few days of free agency. Ehlers with the signing and Miller in the sign-and-trade with the New York Rangers. The Hurricanes also extended Logan Stankoven and Jackson Blake for the next eight seasons after the last year of the entry-level contract expires next summer.
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Furthermore, Alexander Nikishin will get his first full season in North America, and the hope is that he progresses well after being a superstar in the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL). The defense got younger, faster, and has a bigger upside offensively compared to the departures of Burns and Dmitry Orlov. If Andrei Svechnikov can get his game back to where he finished with 69 points in 2021-22, before his ACL tear, that will be a boost for the Hurricanes. They finished with 99 points last season, placing them fourth in the Eastern Conference. The Washington Capitals finished with 111 points and won the Metropolitan Division.
It will come down to the Hurricanes seeing some huge contributions from Svechnikov, Ehlers, Jarvis, and Sebastian Aho. Furthermore, along with the defense being top three in the league, like they’ve usually been during the Brind’Amour era, and the goaltending is a brick wall, there could be a chance to see the Hurricanes take the one seed in the Eastern Conference come playoff time. What makes it happen is if things go 90% right for them, and guys up and down the roster contribute on a nightly basis. If so, we could be in for a massive 2025-26 season from the Hurricanes.
