Following the Carolina Hurricanes’ 5-3 Game 5 loss in the Eastern Conference Final, which eliminated them from the 2025 NHL Playoffs, head coach Rod Brind’Amour and players met with the media postgame. The Hockey Writers (THW) were able to get questions in with Brind’Amour and Sebastian Aho during a busy press conference. What did the two say to THW following the heartbreaking loss?
Rod Brind’Amour
During the press conference with Brind’Amour, THW asked the head coach for his thoughts on Seth Jarvis making a huge step in his career after his fourth season in the league. He stated, “Can’t say enough about him. He does everything for us, and he just keeps getting better and better. This big, heavy series, and he didn’t shy away. He’s right in the mix. A lot of our maybe smaller guys are tough. They get it, and they’re big parts of the group and will be moving forward. So that’s a huge positive, and obviously he’s at the top of that list.” Jarvis led the team in assists (10) and points (16) in the playoffs this season. He was an over a point-per-game guy in only his fourth season in the NHL. It goes a long way to see where Jarvis has come in his career after forcing the team to keep him in his rookie season, over sending him back to the Western Hockey League. Now, three seasons later, he was selected to Team Canada for the 4-Nations Face-Off and led the team in the postseason.
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Furthermore, this was after leading the team in goals (32) during the regular season. Jarvis managed to do that while missing seven games due to re-aggravating his shoulder. All of that, and still matched his career-high in points (67), where he could have had 75 or 80 points in his fourth season. For where he is, the sky is the limit for Jarvis, who is viewed as a cornerstone player for the Hurricanes. There is some argument to be made that he is an underrated superstar player who needs to be viewed as such.
Jarvis managed to do all of this in the first season of his new eight-year, $59.36 million deal that he signed this past offseason. If this is the new standard or the foundation to an upward trend for Jarvis, expect some monster seasons from the young superstar from Winnipeg, Manitoba. He is here to stay and be a franchise player for the Hurricanes.
Sebastian Aho
While talking to a somber Aho following the team’s loss in Game 5, there was an understanding to give him time to answer questions. When losing a tough one like that, it’s fair to understand that guys will be emotional, following making a run to the Eastern Conference Final. When THW asked Aho about the resilience of the Hurricanes, he stated, “It’s a hard-working group. As a teammate, you appreciate that every single one of your teammates come in and put the work boots on. That’s kind of what we’ve been leaning on the whole year and maybe past years as well. So that’s never a question with this group. That’s something I’m proud of. But at the same time, it’s tough to find too many positive things. It just sucks. Will have to cool off for a day or two. It’ll be easier to give you a better answer.”
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If there is one thing to never question, it’s the heart and fight in this team to back each other up. When people talk about tight groups, the Hurricanes might have one of the tightest locker rooms in the NHL. Season in and season out, there is a culture that means a ton to these guys. When you see an Aho being somber in a loss like this, you know he wanted him and this group to continue their season. Their ultimate goal is to bring a Stanley Cup to Raleigh. This could be an offseason where the momentum is there to take a step back, break expectations and become a team that loads up and finally makes the Cup Final for the first time since 2006. With Aho being one of the leaders of this team, there is no doubt the hunger will be there to come back for the 2025-26 season and have an unreal run, personally and as a team.
Offseason Mode for Hurricanes
With it now being in offseason mode for the Hurricanes, they will be holding exit interviews over the next week at the Lenovo Center. After that, they will turn their sights onto the 2025 NHL Draft, and following that, July 1 for the start of free agency and the re-sign phase. There will be a lot of work to do for general manager Eric Tulsky and the front office. Expect a busy offseason for the Hurricanes as they gear up for the 2025-26 season.
