The opening night rosters for the 2025-26 season have finally been announced across the NHL, with the opening night slate of games being played on Tuesday, Oct. 7. Regarding the Carolina Hurricanes, their home and season opener is not until Thursday, Oct. 9. In any case, who made the 23-man roster, and what could the lines be like on Thursday against the New Jersey Devils?
Possible Forward Lines
It comes as no surprise that the 13 forwards who have been named to the opening night roster for the Hurricanes have been the main core throughout training camp and the preseason. Outside of Tyson Jost being claimed off waivers by the Nashville Predators, the main nucleus of the team from the 2024-25 season, now with the addition of Nikolaj Ehlers, returns for another run. By signing Taylor Hall and Eric Robinson to new extensions, the forward core has remained largely intact from the end of last season.
The question remains of who could be the second-line center when the season begins on Thursday. Throughout training camp and the preseason games, Logan Stankoven was the primary second-line center, without much flipping between him and Jesperi Kotkaniemi. If there were days of switching between the two, there could be a question about who would be slotted behind Sebastian Aho in that instance. However, it seems that with the lack of rotation, it feels like we’ve had our answer since the start.
| LW | C | RW |
|---|---|---|
| Nikolaj Ehlers | Sebastian Aho | Seth Jarvis |
| Andrei Svechnikov | Logan Stankoven | Jackson Blake |
| William Carrier | Jordan Staal | Jordan Martinook |
| Taylor Hall | Jesperi Kotkaniemi | Eric Robinson |
| Mark Jankowski |
After having a solid rookie season with the Hurricanes, it seems head coach Rod Brind’Amour and staff like having Jackson Blake in the top six, primarily on the second line with Stankoven and Andrei Svechnikov. Blake has had some experience with Svechnikov last season when they were with Aho on the top line, along with some early chemistry during the preseason. If Blake gets consistent minutes with Stankoven and Svechnikov on the second line and time on the second power-play unit, Blake could be poised for a huge sophomore season.
The other question, when it comes to the forwards, is how Kotkaniemi will fare, as he could be the fourth-line center to start the season, despite having the second-line role in previous seasons. However, if he is paired with Hall and Robinson, those three could be a sneaky fourth line for the Hurricanes this upcoming season.
Related: Carolina Hurricanes 2025-26 Roster Projection 2.0
Kotkaniemi, since coming over to the Hurricanes via an offer sheet from the Montreal Canadiens, has won over 50 percent of his faceoffs and has adapted more into a shutdown center role. Combining that with the playmaking style of Hall and the speed of Robinson, there could be something there for Brind’Amour when it comes to rolling four lines throughout the season. As per usual, watch out for the third line of Jordan Staal, Jordan Martinook, and William Carrier being the battering ram and the shutdown line for the Hurricanes. In previous seasons, this is the group that Brind’Amour sent out to shut down the opposing teams’ best lines. While they did miss Carrier last season for over 30 games due to injury, the hope is that he is healthy and ready to add some physicality to a line that already uses its size to win board battles.
It goes without saying that the top line of Aho, Ehlers, and Seth Jarvis will be the one to watch, leading the way for the Hurricanes. Jarvis is coming off a 4 Nations Face-Off championship and his second consecutive 30-plus goal and 67-point season. After being featured in Season 2 of Prime Video’s “Faceoff: Inside the NHL”, there is a clear indication that he will do whatever it takes to bring a Stanley Cup to Raleigh. If the Hurricanes manage to keep these three together all season, along with being three of the five players on the first power-play unit, expect big things from those three.
Also, it helps when Aho and Jarvis are a menace on the penalty kill as well, scoring almost 10 shorthanded goals in 2024-25 (Jarvis scoring five alone). If everyone stays healthy, this could be the best forward group the Hurricanes have had in a long time.
Hurricanes Defensive Pairings & Goalies
When it comes to the defense, there were some small concerns if Jaccob Slavin and Jalen Chatfield were going to be ready to go for opening night, despite playing zero, or if any, preseason games. Chatfield did play in the finale, but Slavin did not play a game. However, during the last couple of practices, Slavin and Chatfield shed the no-contract jerseys for the regular ones, giving the impression that they will be ready to go on Thursday.
Another concern was that K’Andre Miller, whom the team traded and extended on July 1, was going to be ready too. As it turned out, he will also be ready for opening night as he’s been practicing over the last few days. He’s been paired with Chatfield, which gives an idea of where the Hurricanes want to go with their newest defenseman. If there is someone who can help Miller along, it’s Chatfield, who has solidified himself as someone who could be in a top-four role on a ton of NHL teams. Their combined speed could be a threat on rushes and breakouts.
| LD | RD | G |
|---|---|---|
| Jaccob Slavin | Sean Walker | Pyotr Kochetkov |
| K’Andre Miller | Jalen Chatfield | Frederik Andersen |
| Alexander Nikishin | Shayne Gostisbehere | Brandon Bussi |
| Mike Reilly |
During the 2025 NHL Playoffs, fans caught a couple of glimpses of Slavin being paired with Sean Walker, especially during the Eastern Conference Final against the Florida Panthers. The role Slavin and Walker could play for Brind’Amour and defensive coach Tim Gleason is the shutdown pair against the other team’s best players, just like the third line of Staal, Martinook, and Carrier. Slavin is one of the best defensive defenseman in the league, and Walker showed progress in adapting to the system as 2024-25 went along. That top pair could pay dividends for the Hurricanes this upcoming season.
The pairing of Alexander Nikishin and Shayne Gostisbehere will be one to keep an eye on, as the former will be making his regular-season NHL debut on Thursday night, after appearing in his first NHL games during the 2025 Playoffs. While his minutes could be limited starting out, as he is still learning the system and continues to learn English, it’ll be a learning curve for him. Regarding Gostisbehere, if there was someone to play on his offside, “Ghost” was the likely choice. He’s someone who has played on both the left and right side in his career, and with the Hurricanes being unbalanced with four left-handed and two right-handed defensemen, it was the logical option. He will be a great offensive help for Nikishin as he led the Hurricanes’ defensemen in goals and points last season.
Related: Carolina Hurricanes Add to Goalie Depth with Brandon Bussi Waiver Claim
Finally, the goalies. It’s the same tandem as last season for the Hurricanes, as Pyotr Kochetkov is entering the third year of his four-year deal. It’ll be a pivotal season for the Russian netminder as he looks to solidify himself as the Hurricanes’ 1A netminder for the future. When it comes to Frederik Andersen, the hope is that he stays healthy this season, as he’s missed close to 70 games the last couple of years. He did have a minor knee surgery last season, but apparently is feeling better than ever, and the hope is that he can play a good amount of games in the net. It’ll be interesting to see how the Hurricanes deploy the two netminders throughout the season, whether they ride the hot hand most of the time or swap them for each game.
Another addition to the goalie room to potentially start the season with the Hurricanes is Brandon Bussi, who was claimed off waivers on Sunday, Oct. 5, from the Panthers. Bussi was an insurance move in case the team lost Cayden Primeau on waivers, which he was and is now on the opening night roster for the Toronto Maple Leafs. While they were looking forward to having Primeau, adding Bussi to the goalie depth was a smart move for an instance like this, plus the American netminder has been solid throughout his American Hockey League (AHL) career with the Providence Bruins. Things could change between now and Thursday to see if he will be placed on waivers again to be assigned to the Chicago Wolves, but at least the Hurricanes shored up their third goalie situation.
The Hurricanes will enter the season, as of this writing, with $10.51 million in cap space. They will be entering with 13 forwards, seven defensemen, and three goalies. It could change by opening night, but that is where they’re at right now, post the 5 p.m. deadline on Monday, Oct. 6. Either way, it’s another benchmark checked off as the regular season begins on Tuesday, and then the Hurricanes begin their season on Thursday. After a long offseason, teams and fans have finally made it. We are on the precipice of regular-season NHL hockey.
