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Carolina Hurricanes Rankings: Top Five Surprises This Season
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- Carolina Hurricanes Rankings: Top Five Surprises This Season
James Guillory-Imagn Images
The Carolina Hurricanes have had one heck of a season thus far.
With 57 games played, the Hurricanes hold a commanding lead in the Metropolitan Division with 78 points in the standings and a 36-15-6 record. Throughout those wins, losses, and wedged between the times the arena's lights shut off and shine on, there have been quite a few surprises to say the least.
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And so, with all that being said, we count down the Hurricanes' five biggest surprises this season, starting with…
#5 – Spraying Cold Water on the Cats
On January 16, 2026, the Carolina Hurricanes won by the largest margin in nearly 15 years as they defeated the Florida Panthers 9-1 . The last time they had a similar performance was April 7, 2009, versus the New York Islanders , which saw a hat-trick from Eric Staal , goals from players such as Rod Brind'Amour and Tuomo Ruutu , and a 12-save shutout from Cam Ward.
Needless to say, given those names, it's been a hot minute.
As crazy as January's score was, what was even more bonkers was the opponent the Hurricanes beat; the team that has been their kryptonite for the past three seasons. Led by Nikolaj Ehlers , who scored a hat-trick, with dominating plays from the defense to take control of the game, the final score was cathartic for fans who've seen too many losses to the Panthers .
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#4 – Jesperi Kotkaniemi is Still a Hurricane
After the Hurricanes were knocked out of the 2025 Eastern Conference Finals by the aforementioned Panthers, many fans and analysts alike believed they had seen Jesperi Kotkaniemi's final games in a Hurricanes sweater. Then, as the season began and trade rumors soared, his name was cast into the water, awaiting a bite. He was even scratched for a handful of games until he was brought back into the mix due to Eric Robinson's injury . Some teams were rumored to have taken some nibbles at the opportunity, but shockingly, Eric Tulsky didn't reel anything in.
In a league starved of depth down the middle, Kotkaniemi is a quality centerman. Though his contract was once unsightly, the rising salary cap has begun to justify the $4.82M annual price tag just a bit.
Although he spent a significant amount of time on paper centering the second line, he never truly centered that line in Carolina. Jordan Staal 's third line was technically operated as the second line per ice time, and still is . Perhaps the lack of production from Kotkaniemi during those seasons muddied the perception of his talent on stats sheets and has led to the lowered desirability in the trade market.
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#3 – Andrei Freakin' Svechnikov
After he returned to play following the tear and recovery of the ACL in his right knee, it was clear – and expected – that Andrei Svechnikov would need time to get back into the swing of things.
As part of the process of trying to find his game, his play suffered, and earlier this season, he was placed on the fourth line as a result of it. The moment led to uncertainty for the Hurricanes' power forward, and rumors of trades from top insiders hit social media like a hammer (though they were later refuted ).
However, when he was given a step up to Jordan Staal's third (or second, or whatever you want to call it) line, his game got the spark it needed. Eventually, after consistent performances, he was brought to the top line and has been on fire since.
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With just 57 games played this season, he has already surpassed the previous two seasons in goals, with 21. Additionally, January marked a career high for him in scoring totals in a calendar month, with 19 points. Currently, for the team, he sits second in goals (21), just behind linemate Seth Jarvis (25), and second in points (49), behind his other linemate Sebastian Aho (57).
#2 – Division Leaders Despite Injuries
For some reason, this season has been brutal in the NHL. Many teams have dealt with injuries, and one of those lineups heavily impacted by injuries has been the Hurricanes.
Only recently was the defensive core able to see its full assembly, as roster mainstays Jaccob Slavin , Jalen Chatfield , Shayne Gostisbehere , and K'Andre Miller missed a combined 72 games due to injury.
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Meanwhile, the forward group also suffered notable injuries, as Jordan Martinook , William Carrier , Seth Jarvis, and Eric Robinson have missed a combined 35.
In total, between just those eight players, 107 games have been missed due to injury. And that doesn't even count other notable players, such as goaltender Pyotr Kochetkov , who is expected to remain out until at least the end of the regular season after undergoing hip surgery, and Charles-Alexis Legault, who spent three months out of play due to recovery from a skate cut.
However, the Hurricanes have managed success in spite of the adversity they've faced. Currently, they sit atop the Metropolitan Division and third in the league (78 points), just behind the Atlantic Division's Tampa Bay Lightning (also 78 points) and the Central Division's Colorado Avalanche (83 points).
#1 – The Brandon Bussi Show
By far, the biggest surprise this season for the Carolina Hurricanes – and perhaps the NHL as a whole – is the breakout success of the 27-year-old, left-handed goaltender Brandon Bussi.
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Though too old to be considered a rookie or eligible for the Calder Memorial Trophy (thanks in part to 1990's 31-year-old Calder winner, the legend Sergei Makarov), Bussi has turned heads the same as any bright-eyed and bushy-tailed rookie would, as he has notched an insane 23-3-1 record in his first NHL season.
Originally claimed by Carolina off waivers from their rival Florida Panthers, he was acquired as a safety net (no pun intended, honestly). When Cayden Primeau hit the waiver wire, Tulsky snatched Bussi in preparation for the inevitable claim of the goalie they traded with the Montreal Canadiens for over the summer. A wise prediction from the Hurricanes' general manager, as the Toronto Maple Leafs did just that, pulling Primeau back to Canada.
With a complete unknown on the opening night roster, not many were sure what to think.
But no one really had much time to think before he hit the ice in the Hurricanes' third game of the season.
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Since then, he's matched and broken record after record, from the Hurricanes' longest winning streak to claiming multiple spots as the "fastest goalie to x number of wins" in NHL history. It's been a wild ride.
Even still, with just 27 games under his belt, his play remains a small sample size. It will be fascinating to see how he gets back to his game after the 20-day Olympic break, but one thing that is sure is that he'll have Caniac nation cheering him on as he strives towards more wins, one shot at a time.
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