Canes Hungry for More in 2020-21 Season

Win the day. 1-0. Do it right. Earn it.
These are a few of the phrases that adorn the walls inside the Carolina Hurricanes locker room at their
new practice facility
at Wake Competition Center.
There's another phrase plastered to the wall above racks of free weights in the gym: Our standard is the standard.

Presiding over his first training camp in 2018, Rod Brind'Amour's message was about raising the level of expectation. What the Canes were striving for wasn't good enough; they needed to think bigger and aim higher.
So, they did. In the 2018-19 season, the Canes won 46 games and snapped a decade-long playoff drought with a magical run to the Eastern Conference Final.
They followed that up in the 2019-20 season by making a second consecutive playoff appearance for the first time since 2001-02. In the Toronto bubble, the Canes swept the New York Rangers in three games in the Stanley Cup Qualifiers before bowing out in five games to the Boston Bruins in the First Round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
The Canes will now aim to make three consecutive trips to the postseason for the first time in franchise history since the Whalers did so, but that's simply a waypoint to a final destination.
"Why are we doing this if we're not trying to win it?" Brind'Amour mused. "It's all or nothing, and we all appreciate that."
Now in his third season, Brind'Amour's
message about expectations
is unchanged, even with a much different, much more unique
56-game schedule
ahead.
The expectation is to be the best. That's the goal, the championship mindset of a C5 Hurricane. It starts with consistent, competitive hard work.
The Canes' standard is the standard.
"We're here to win. That means win everything. That's the expectation, and that hasn't changed. But we're not making the playoffs today. We've got to build through this and make sure we're on the right track," Brind'Amour said. "We're all in here. We're all in to win it."
The Canes are returning essentially the same roster from a season ago; every player that will dress on opening night was with the team in bubble with the exception of Jesper Fast, the one headline signing of the offseason. Fast is the embodiment of the Canes' standard. He leads with his work ethic. He's quick, he's physical and he hunts the puck with vigor.
"He's one of those guys who goes out and works his tail off every shift. A guy like me respects that so much," Jordan Martinook said. "To have him come in and just continue what he does for us is going to be huge."
Otherwise, the Canes lineup is familiar, a vote of confidence that this group is ready to take the next step and become an elite contender in the National Hockey League.
And why not?
The Canes' offense is
headlined by the dynamic trio
of Andrei Svechnikov, Sebastian Aho and Teuvo Teravainen. Svechnikov made his elite skillset known by scoring the first two lacrosse-style goals in NHL history last season.
"His willingness to get better is why he's going to continue keep getting better," Brind'Amour said of Svechnikov. "All his skills are there, and now you add the strength and confidence he's gained. He's just going to continue to grow."
Aho was on pace for a 40-goal season in 2019-20, and Teravainen is one of the most underrated playmakers in the league.
"He's an elite player. Elite skillset. He's a gamer," Brind'Amour said of Teravainen. "His skill level is as good as anybody in the NHL. He's got great skills and playmaking ability."
SEASON PREVIEW: FORWARDS | DEFENSE | GOALTENDING
The stout defense
remains the Canes' strength
. Headlined by Jaccob Slavin and Dougie Hamilton, the group of six on the blue line is balanced with puck movers and stay-at-home types that makes the team tough to solve for the opposition. Behind them are Petr Mrazek and James Reimer, a goaltending tandem that has seen
proven success in rotation
.
"It's going to be tough to ride one goalie in this schedule. I don't see how you could do it," Brind'Amour said. "It's good to know we've already done this rotation with these two guys and feel real confident in it. They both look good and ready to go."
The upcoming season will be different and weird and unfamiliar in many ways. It's being staged against the backdrop of a health crisis that continues to rage in many parts of North America. While
life at home and on the road is a bit unusual
, hockey will still be hockey.
"It's not ideal for anybody. You have a little pity party, I'm sure, everybody feels it," Brind'Amour said. "But then you wake up and go, 'Man, we're still pretty lucky to be figuring this out and playing.'"
So, it's time to drop the puck. With an abridged training camp in the rearview mirror, the Canes turn their attention to the start of the regular season. The 56-game journey begins Thursday in Detroit against the Red Wings, one of
seven Central Division opponents
the Canes will face exclusively this season.
Set the pace right from puck drop and be competitive for 60 minutes. And then do it all over again the next game. And the next. And the next.
That's the Canes' standard. That's the standard.
"I think we've proven the past few years that we're a threat to any team in the league, and we're only getting better," Brett Pesce said. "Our young studs are getting older and more mature, and they're only going to improve. It's no secret anymore that we're a good team."
Let's play some hockey.