What Every NHL Team Can Learn From the Carolina Hurricanes' 2026 Stanley Cup Final Run

After eight straight years of playoff appearances and a Cup window that has stayed cracked but had yet to fully open, the consistent Carolina Hurricanes are headed to the Stanley Cup Final for the first time in 20 years and third time in franchise history.

The Canes rebounded from an Eastern Conference Final-opening loss against the Canadiens and never looked back, winning the series 4-1 with Game 5's 6-1 victory. They are now 12-1 and, by all accounts, completely dominating in every facet of the game these playoffs.

What's the difference this time around, and how did the years of playoff disappointment prepare Carolina for this exact moment? Here's what every NHL team can learn from the Hurricanes' run to the 2026 Stanley Cup Final.

Patience is a Good Virtue

Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images

When the Hurricanes went down in Game 1 of these Conference Finals, it brought their recent record in the ECF to 1-17. While some used this as proof that this team "chokes," they failed to consider the flip side: Only four teams make it to the Conference Finals every year.

That the Hurricanes consistently made it to three rounds, often only to fall to the Cup-winning Panthers, was frustrating. It was especially frustrating if you feared their window was about to expire.

But the whole 1-17 narrative clouded our better judgment to an extent. Each year, GM Eric Tulsky tweaked the team, adding depth to every position, chipping away at depth scoring issues with players like Logan Stankoven, Taylor Hall, and Nikolaj Ehlers, and making the Canes' airtight defense even stronger with additions like K'Andre Miller.

It's understandable that it can be hard to keep the faith in a league with such parity, and every failed trip to the Conference Finals can feel like "the end" in this way. Instead of blowing it all up, though, the Hurricanes doubled down on their style of play, patiently added the right players, and finally landed in the Stanley Cup Final.

Always Have a Plan B (Or Not)

Josh Lavallee/NHLI via Getty Images

Logan Stankoven

Well, well, well. The man headed to the 2026 Stanley Cup Final isn't named Mikko Rantanen or Martin Necas. He is named Logan Stankoven.

Not only is Stankoven headed there, but he's leading the Hurricanes with nine goals, almost double the amount of any of his teammates.

Look, the comparison game has its flaws, and Rantanen and/or Necas might have succeeded well enough on this Hurricanes roster. The real point here is that when the Rantanen trade didn't work out, the Hurricanes were immediately able to pivot and flip him for a player who is now leading their Stanley Cup run in goals.

Look at some other almost-but-not-quite successful teams that have let frustrations get the best of them: Toronto's inability to replace Mitch Marner, Winnipeg's inability to replace Ehlers, Edmonton's goalie situation. Like their Western Conference counterpart Golden Knights, the Hurricanes have been resourceful and a few steps ahead of the game while building this roster.

In the modern day NHL, failing to pivot and get creative will not land you in the Stanley Cup Final.

At the same time, the Hurricanes turned heads when Tulsky didn't make any groundbreaking moves at this past trade deadline. When you zoom out, though, you realize that this deadline was a dud and a seller's market, and the Hurricanes effectively used the offseason as if there would be no trade deadline.

Hey, remember when the Golden Knights did the same thing and traded for Marner last summer? Again, you need to think two steps ahead to make the Stanley Cup Final in the modern-day NHL. Sometimes that means pivoting to a Stankoven when a Rantanen doesn't work out. Sometimes that means looking at the upcoming CBA, looking at potential available players, and realizing that your offseason moves need to be more of a 2-in-1 situation because the upcoming trade deadline was always going to be a dud.

Rod Freakin' Brind'Amour

Bruce Bennett/Getty Images

Tonight, Rod Brind'Amour became the first person in the NHL's expansion era (since 1968) and the fourth ever to lead the same team to the Stanley Cup Final as a captain and as a head coach.

For fans of other hockey teams, it's hard to explain Brind'Amour's commitment to the Hurricanes and his true importance to the franchise. Behind the scenes and in front of the scenes, he has made franchise-altering decisions.

It's not an exaggeration to say he has kept this Hurricanes team from relocation, and it's even less of an exaggeration to say he has been acutely aware of that looming threat this entire time.

This Cup Final run doesn't start, doesn't continue, and doesn't finalize without Rod Brind'Amour at the helm.

Many people wrote off his promotion to head coach at the time as a cheap decision by a cheap new owner. In actuality, nobody has ever cared about this team more than this man.

Brind'Amour has officially been involved in 98 of 100 Hurricanes playoff wins. It's time to notice how special this person is.

Trust in Your Players

Josh Lavallee/NHLI via Getty Images

Frederik Andersen

Speaking of Brind'Amour, he's faced criticism - much of it fair - for putting a great deal of faith in certain players and being slow to let go of that faith.

He has taken pride in rolling out lines with time on ice more evenly distributed than most other top teams in the league. Then, of course, there's his decision to roll with Freddie Andersen in every game of these playoffs.

It's working because this team's biggest strength - and, when unsuccessful, its biggest Achilles heel - is depth. When the depth is executing, the Canes win games with everyone pitching in. When the depth is off, they lose. When you think of it this way, there's nothing left to do but trust these players beyond what might be reasonable for any other team and hope for the best.

This year, the Hurricanes were effectively the Final Boss versions of themselves. They were the only team in the NHL to have seven 20-plus-goal scorers, and that depth has extended into the playoffs. The "second line" of Jackson Blake, Hall, and Stankoven is the team's top scorers through the first three rounds.

Plus, the decision to roll with Andersen after Brandon Bussi's emergence has paid off: Andersen has been on an absolutely insane tear, and after one arguably rough game against the Habs, he bookended it all with another outstanding performance on his way to the Cup Final.

You Can Win by Drafting and Developing Smartly

Bruce Bennett/Getty Images

Sebastian Aho, Andrei Svechnikov and Seth Jarvis

Don't let the flashy new toys the Hurricanes have acquired in the past few seasons distract you from how drafting and developing have shaped this roster.

The Canes selected Jaccob Slavin in the fourth round of the 2012 draft at 120th overall, and he's grown into one of the best defenseman in the NHL. They got Sebastian Aho at pick No. 35, Andrei Svechnikov at No. 2, Seth Jarvis at No. 13, and Jackson Blake at No. 109.

As much as the Canes have always needed the extra support for the core that finally came to fruition via Tulsky outsourcing the past few seasons, none of this happens without the homegrown core in the first place.

The Canes have drafted and developed well, and now that the core has the league's best supporting cast, everything is finally coming together.