After once again coming up short in their quest for a first Stanley Cup championship since 2006, the Carolina Hurricanes suffered a mass exodus this offseason. The departure of Jake Guentzel was especially painful, but the club will also have to reckon with the absences of Brett Pesce and Brady Skjei —who formed maybe the best second pairing in all of hockey — in 2024-25 and beyond.
But despite a couple of monumental losses, the Canes still project as one of the better teams in the Metropolitan Division. Martin Necas and Jaccob Slavin both have new contracts, while Will Carrier, Jack Roslovic, Sean Walker and Shayne Gostisbehere were brought in to help plug some of the holes.
If 34-year-old Frederik Andersen holds up — he was terrific in his return from blood clots last year — there’s no reason why Carolina can’t compete for a top spot in the division come April. This is still a top-tier club, although the expectations will probably be slightly tempered, as players like Guentzel, Skjei and Pesce are difficult to replace.
But as the Hurricanes’ roster gets older, the importance of veteran contribution becomes even more paramount. This squad remains hungry for a Stanley Cup, and the championship window will only remain open for so long. With that, here are three sneaky vets who could make a bigger-than-anticipated impact in Raleigh in 2024-25.
Hurricanes missed Jesper Fast in the postseason
Although Jesper Fast struggled in the 2023-24 regular-season — he managed just 19 points in 73 games — he was a force the previous playoff run. In Carolina’s thrilling march to the Eastern Conference Final in 2023, Fast amassed a fantastic six goals and nine points.
But after being injured in the final game of the year, Fast was not an option at all for the Hurricanes in the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs. The Canes were unable to recover from a 3-0 deficit to the New York Rangers in Round 2 despite winning two consecutive games and leading in the third period of Game 6.
Still, if Fast can come back strong, the 32-year-old is still an important contributor at both ends of the rink. Although he’s never been a very prolific offensive talent — his career high is 14 goals and 34 points — he’s a smart player who plays good defense and has suited up for over 50 postseason contests.
There are basically no expectations on the Swede’s shoulders, especially as his status for opening night is still up in the air, but it’s not impossible that he can still find his best form (which he showed in 2021-22 with the Canes). If healthy, he should get a look on the third line, and potentially with the second powerplay group. If that happens, he could be a sneaky good contributor in 2024-25.
William Carrier was ready for a change of scenery
Will Carrier was part of the inaugural Vegas Golden Knights team that marched all the way to the Stanley Cup Final in 2017-18. Five years later, the ‘Golden Misfit’ hoisted Lord Stanley with the same franchise after the Knights beat the Florida Panthers last postseason.
That also happened to be Carrier’s best season as a professional; he amassed an impressive 16 goals and 25 points in 56 regular-season contests in a bottom-six role, while adding another six points in 18 playoff games. Not bad at all.
But last year was a tough one for the LaSalle, Quebec native. He struggled with injuries and managed to suit up for just 39 games, recording only eight points. Vegas was knocked out in Round 1 by the Dallas Stars the year after their championship, and Carrier recorded just a single point in that series.
After seven fruitful seasons on the strip, the 29-year-old signed a huge six-year, $12 million contract with the Hurricanes on July 3. He projects to play on the third line with a pair of Jacks — Drury and Roslovic — and with a change of scenery, he could revert to the player who scored at nearly a 0.5 point-per-game pace in 2022-23.
Carrier also brings a strong, physical game to a Canes roster that could probably use some more toughness, especially in the bottom-six. With contract security, and on a team that is still looking to break through, Carrier could be a solid contributor as someone who knows what it takes to win a Stanley Cup. Like Fast, he isn’t a prolific offensive talent, but he has the opportunity to bounce back from a tough 2023-24 season nonetheless.
Shayne Gostisbehere could run powerplay in return to Carolina
On the back end, the Hurricanes replaced Skjei and Pesce with one defensive specialist in Sean Walker, and an offensive dynamo in Shayne Gostisbehere. The former should help on a blue line that is filled with strong defensive players — like Slavin, Brent Burns and Dmitry Orlov — but the latter gets a reunion with the team that traded for him at the 2022-23 trade deadline.
Gostisbehere is an offensive defenseman in every sense of the word; just look at his utilization with the Detroit Red Wings last season. He played third pairing minutes, but ran the top powerplay unit and amassed an excellent 10 goals and 56 points in 81 games. In his prime with the Philadelphia Flyers, this player once scored a phenomenal 65 points in 78 games during the 2017-18 campaign.
Gostisbehere suited up for 23 regular-season games with Carolina in 2022-23, scoring 10 points and adding another three in 15 postseason contests. After a year away, he returned to Raleigh on a three-year, $9.6 million contract in free agency this summer.
On paper, this is exactly the type of player the Canes blue line needs. Although the 31-year-old will likely play on the third pairing on his new team, he should again be pushing for a powerplay slot on a group that features Necas, Sebastian Aho, Andrei Svechnikov and Seth Jarvis. Not too shabby.
Although Burns and Slavin will have something to say about that, at this point, Gostisbehere could be the best offensive player on that blue line. Even if he isn’t the top PP quarterback, he will certainly have a place on the second unit. The Pembroke Pines, FL native should make a seamless transition to one of the best defensive units in all of hockey.
The Hurricanes are an aging roster, and the hope in Raleigh is that the core can finally get over the hump and capture a championship for the first time in nearly two decades. And three players who didn’t play for Carolina in the 2024 playoffs — Jesper Fast, Will Carrier and Shayne Gostisbehere — could all make a significant impact in that ongoing quest.
