INJURIES
Forward Jordan Martinook started the day by answering an injury question, stating, “Everybody’s playing through stuff, so [you’ve] got bruises and knicks.” Despite Martinook himself not playing through injury, three other members of the Hurricanes were.
Seth Jarvis, one of the team’s stars, has had a recurring shoulder injury since the end of the 2023-2024 season. Last offseason, Jarvis did not undergo surgery. During his exit interview, he told the media, “[we] loved where it was at the start of the season in terms of the strength and health… Early on, it started to slip a little bit, and then kind of re-tore all the work [we] did on it and all the strength and everything [we] did.” He described his season as “playing through a little more pain than normal.”
Jarvis will not be getting surgery, stating that he “doesn’t want to miss a whole lot of time.” When asked about his Olympic considerations for Team Canada in 2026, he called it “a big goal”, and stated that he didn’t want to “miss time and ruin that chance for myself.”
General manager Eric Tulsky described the decision as “personal, not organizational.”
Defenseman Sean Walker, who exited the ECF series due to a shoulder injury, told reporters that he also does not need surgery. Walker initially sustained the injury “during [our] last regular season game against Washington”, and the injury was not significant at the time, which was why he played through it. He also explained that he would be unable to return during the ECF, but had hoped to return if the Hurricanes had made the Stanley Cup Final.
Defenseman Jalen Chatfield also did not play in the ECF due to a hip injury. Describing his injury, Chatfield told the media, “It’s hard when [you] get that, trying to skate through that… I couldn’t get to that speed where I would be capable of helping the team on the ice… I was able to get back on the ice before the last game, and hopefully, it would’ve been another game or two… I was super close, for sure.” Chatfield is taking the offseason to rehab the injury, but also does not need surgery or further procedures. Tulsky also confirmed that no other players need surgery at this time, but “there are a few people who are talking to their doctors about the best way to proceed.”
UFA EXITS AND RETURNS
The Hurricanes have several pending UFAs, including Eric Robinson, Brent Burns, and Dmitry Orlov.
Tulsky said that the organization has spoken to every agent of the team’s players heading to free agency, and that conversations are “ongoing.”
In his exit interview, Orlov said that he and the organization have not had any discussions about his future as a Hurricane.
Robinson, who had a career year as a Hurricane (14 goals, 18 assists, and 32 points), described the organization as “a good fit” and followed by saying, “Both sides are willing to get something done. It just sometimes takes time.”
Burns, who turned forty in April, had the lingering question of whether or not he would retire at the end of his current contract. He began by saying he “tries not to think about it too much”, and stated he had a lingering injury last season that resulted in offseason surgery, calling it “tough, physically and mentally… I just wanted to see how I felt… and I felt great.”
On his decision, which Burns did not disclose, he described, “a lot going into it… from a family standpoint, there’s two edges of that sword. It’s so special that [I’ve] got older kids that kind of come through this with me, and it’s hard to miss a lot of things, but every day, I have fun at the rink. Every day, it takes a lot of work, it’s a lot, but [you] see what these guys do every day, learning from them… It’s such a great group and a lot of fun.” Later on, he stated, “I think when [you] get in this time of the year, everything goes out the window, and you don’t think about what’s to come… We (the Burns family) love it here, and would love, love for it to work out.”
Canes head coach Rod Brind’Amour described Burns as “everything [we] could’ve asked for… it was one of the better acquisitions we’ve made in recent memory, that’s for sure.” Brind’Amour also said he’d “love to have [Burns] back.”
Burns also described Raleigh as a “really special place… I was really blessed to play in three great places, but Raleigh is really special.”
THE GOAL: HOISTING LORD STANLEY
Despite the Hurricanes’ elimination in five games against the Florida Panthers, the team slayed their Eastern Conference Final dragon after nineteen years; finally winning at least one conference final game.
That isn’t enough for the Canes, who are currently in an active window of Cup contention. When asked about what the team needs to improve on this offseason, Tulsky responded, “[I think] our team is built on three things. We want to defend really well in our own end, we want to create turnovers off the forecheck, and we want to create offense once we get the puck back. I think, honestly, in all three areas, there’s room for improvement.” Tulsky later stated, “Until we have the twenty best players in the league, there’s still room to get better and we’re gonna keep working towards that, right? Every time we see an opportunity to bring in someone who we think helps us take a step forward, we’re going to take advantage of that.”
ITR 41: Stanley Cup Final – The Rematch – Inside The Rink
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