After back-to-back Stanley Cup Final rounds in 2024 and 2025 featuring the Florida Panthers and Edmonton Oilers, there was a new look in the 2026 NHL playoffs with the Carolina Hurricanes facing the Vegas Golden Knights for the championship.
Now that the Hurricanes have defeated the Golden Knights in six games to win their first championship in 20 years, what are the chances of a reprise next season? Both teams are deep and experienced, so it's not out of the question.
Here's a look at the decisions that await the champion Hurricanes and the runner-up Golden Knights during the offseason:
What's next for the Carolina Hurricanes?
Biggest decision:What to do with Frederik Andersen? He's an unrestricted free agent and Brandon Bussi and Pyotr Kochetkov are signed for three years and one year, respectively. Andersen just completed his fifth year with the Hurricanes. He had a middling regular season and Bussi outplayed him for most of the campaign.
But coach Rod Brind'Amour started Andersen in the playoffs, and he was outstanding. The coach rode him until Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final, pulling him in the second intermission with the team trailing 4-0 in an eventual 5-4 double-overtime loss. Bussi won three in a row, including a shutout in the clincher.
Andersen was dealing with an injury and has had injury issues in his career. So has Kochetkov. Could the Hurricanes bring back Andersen on a short-term deal as insurance?
Pending free agents: In addition to Andersen, Nicolas Deslauriers and Mike Reilly are unrestricted. Defenseman Alexander Nikishin is a restricted free agent.
Outlook: Most of the team is signed long term, and players have won the Stanley Cup and reached the conference finals the past two seasons. Bussi is a goalie on the rise. No reason the Hurricanes shouldn't have another playoff run.
What's next for the Vegas Golden Knights?
Biggest question: Does John Tortorella come back? He replaced Bruce Cassidy with eight games left in the regular season and you can't argue with the results. He steadied the team to keep it in a playoff position, then won three rounds. But he cost the team a second-round pick when he skipped a postgame news conference.
Tortorella said Sunday he wasn't thinking yet of his future, saying he needed to absorb the Game 6 loss. But he called Golden Knights players "real pros" and the team a "first-class organization." He added: "I want to coach and to jump into this with this gang, I feel so fortunate."
Pending free agents: Their list is lengthy. Reilly Smith, Brandon Saad, Cole Smith and Colton Sissons at forward, plus Rasmus Andersson, Jeremy Lauzon, Dylan Coghlan and Ben Hutton on defense. The Golden Knights made a big midseason trade for Andersson, but he didn't have a strong final. There could be turnover in this group, especially with restricted free agent Pavel Dorofeyev due a big raise.
Outlook: The Golden Knights have a strong core and are aggressive going after big-name players. They should remain the class of the Pacific Division, even as the younger teams improve. Their sweep of the Colorado Avalanche was aided by injuries to Cale Makar and Nathan MacKinnon, which isn't likely to happen again. But Vegas will remain motivated after winning the Cup in 2023 and getting close this year.
"We’re a team that everyone loves to hate," captain Mark Stone said. "That fuels our fire and it’s going to fuel our fire moving forward."
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Hurricanes, Golden Knights offseason outlooks: Could they be back?