Hurricanes’ Jaccob Slavin gets real on past ‘mistakes’ ahead of Round 1 vs. Senators

The Carolina Hurricanes are fresh off of winning their first regular season Eastern Conference title in franchise history, and have their sights firmly set on making another deep run in the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs.

But that’ll be easier said than done; the Canes haven’t advanced to the Stanley Cup Final in two full decades, and have lost in the conference final in two of the last three campaigns.

The team has been unable to get over the hump despite a superstar core, but they might not have a better chance with the back-to-back defending champion Florida Panthers not participating this season.

“I think you always learn from your mistakes, the things that were not the best in the past,” top defenseman Jaccob Slavin said ahead of a first-round series against the Ottawa Senators, per NHL.com’s Shawn P. Roarke. “You take from it and you learn from it.”

“We turn the page now, so everything that has been done is out the window,” echoed head coach Rod Brind’Amour. “But we had to qualify to get this opportunity and I think the guys did a phenomenal job this year. Having said that, now everyone is starting from scratch and you have to go out there and prove it.

“I think, certainly understanding the ups and downs of the playoffs, they have been through it all, and hopefully that will help us.”

The Hurricanes have made the playoffs in every season under Brind’Amour — he took over as head coach back in 2018 — but haven’t been able to find the magic as of yet.

In 2025-26, Carolina is a powerhouse, finishing 53-22-7 and second in overall league standings behind only the President’s Trophy-winning Colorado Avalanche. They’re the odds-on favorite to reach the Eastern Conference Final, a place they’ve visited frequently.

But it’s Stanley Cup or bust in Carolina this spring, and nothing short of winning at least three rounds will be sufficient for one of the National Hockey League’s premier teams.

Carolina and Ottawa kick off the 2026 postseason on Saturday afternoon at the Lenovo Center in Raleigh, NC; puck is set to drop just past 3:00 p.m. ET in front of what should be a raucous crowd in the capital city.

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