The Carolina Hurricanes are not suffering from a Stanley Cup hangover.
The defending Cup champions sit atop the National Hockey League with 20 points and a 9-2-2 record, and look every bit as dominant as they did last summer, when they ran through the playoffs to win the second Stanley Cup in franchise history.
The Hurricanes will receive a further boost with the return of defenceman Alexander Nikishin, who ended his holdout by signing a one-year, $3 million contract on Sunday.
“We’re glad that Alexander is returning to our group,” said general manager Eric Tulsky. “This has been a long process, but we look forward to him re-entering our locker room ready to contribute with the Hurricanes, as he did during a Stanley Cup championship season last year.”
The 25-year-old blueliner scored 11 goals and 33 points last season, adding one assist in 17 playoff games en route to the Stanley Cup.
The Hurricanes’ “slow” 0-1-1 start to the season has been long forgotten, as they have won nine of their past 11 games, including a run of seven straight victories from Oct. 3 - Oct. 17.
Carolina is currently dealing with injuries to captain and Conn Smythe Trophy winner Jordan Staal as well as forwards Taylor Hall and Mark Jankowski. However, the Hurricanes have employed a “next man up” mentality and several unheralded players like Jesperi Kotkaniemi and Juuse Valimaki have stepped up in their absence.
“With the guys out, we’ve had guys that came in to the lineup and have really stepped up,” Hurricanes forward Nikolaj Ehlers said. “We did that all last year, and it seems like it’s started that way again this year. I’m proud of the guys in here. It sucks that we have guys out, but we’ve got to play with the guys that we have, and these guys step up. That’s exciting for our team.”
Carolina also received a boost at the tail end of their five-game road trip, thanks to the return of forward Seth Jarvis, who was recovering from off-season shoulder surgery.
The team’s leading goal scorer for the past two seasons returned Thursday against the Edmonton Oilers and has recorded one goal and three points in two games.
“He’s, in my opinion, become a super player. An elite player,” head coach Brind’Amour said of Jarvis. “He can do everything for your team.”
The Hurricanes have received contributions throughout the lineup, led by Sebastian Aho’s 18 points through 13 games. Jackson Blake and Logan Stankoven have seemingly taken another step in their development as Blake is on a point-per-game pace (2 goals, 11 assists in 13 games) while Stankoven is tied for eighth in the NHL with eight goals this season.
Carolina is second in the NHL with a +18 goal differential and has started the season with a 7-1-1 record on the road.
They will now head back to Carolina to begin a three-game homestand against the Atlantic-leading Boston Bruins, before games against the Columbus Blue Jackets and Winnipeg Jets.