Six games into the 2024-25 season, the Carolina Hurricanes are 4-2-0 and on a two-game winning streak. Although they are on a good path at the moment, they have benefited from the depth of scoring from players new and old. Who defended the Canes during this upward trend?

Jesperi Kotkaniemi

One of the guys who really needed a rebound start for the 2024-25 season was the Finnish forward. Jesperi Kotkaniemi. After the 2023-24 season, it is a season that he would like to return to. Kotkaniemi finished the season with 12 goals and 27 points in 79 games. However, six games into the 2024-25 season, he appears to be back on track. He currently has five points (all assists)and is tied for the team lead with Sebastian Aho and Martin Necas. Additionally, he threw the body quite frequently while fighting tough battles to win the puck for the Canes. It appears he has figured out how to use his body more and eliminate opponents for possession, especially in the offensive zone.

Related: Hurricanes’ Jesperi Kotkaniemi is in make-or-break mode for 2024-25

So far this season he has been snakebitten, with no goals and at least four posts hit on shots. However, he puts pucks on net and finds teammates to score. Plus, he finally gets the points that eluded him in 2023-24 when he seemed to lead the team in tertiary assists in set-ups that led to goals. Fortunately, he is rewarded for his efforts, as he has a field goal percentage (GF%) of 62.50% and a Corsi percentage (CF%) of 57.80%. His 62.50 GF% is a huge improvement over the 50.70% he had last season. Furthermore, he has 0.83 points per game (P/G) after six games. Will Kotkaniemi be able to maintain this pace? Fans are hoping to see the player who had 18 goals and 43 points two seasons ago. Plus, are we seeing the Jordan Staal 2.0 that everyone is hoping for when it comes to Kotkaniemi’s career trajectory?

Jack Roslovic

Another player who joined the Hurricanes six games into the season is a Columbus, Ohio native. Jack Roslovic. So far in the 2024-25 season, Roslovic has scored three goals while proving why his speed is something the Canes needed. When asked to return during training camp, Roslović said“That’s why I wanted to come here, because of the form. They get their wingers on the ice and their defensemen know it. I think it’s a really good system that they’ve created here. I want to be able to fit in and already playing with speed is an advantage that I hope I can bring to the team.

Related: Hurricanes’ Jack Roslovic fills team’s need for speed

So far it has paid off as he moved from the second row with Kotkaniemi and Necas to the front straight with Andrei Svechnikov and Aho. His speed has given him the flexibility head coach Rod Brind’Amour needs for his lineup that emphasizes speed and the ability to position himself anywhere in the lineup.

It certainly helps when you have 92nd percentile skating speed and an 80%+ range of rush attack, rush assists, and zone entries/exits per JFresh analytical sheets. In terms of the quick transitions the team likes to play, Roslovic will fit easily into the spontaneous mentality the Canes employ and so far it has worked perfectly.

Eric Robinson

Another speedster the Canes added to their 2024-25 roster was the former Columbus Blue Jackets forward. Eric Robinson. After six games, the New Jersey native has one goal and three points this season. He scored his first goal as a Hurricanes player in the team’s 4-2 win over the Calgary Flames on Thursday night (Oct. 24). Robinson leads the team in plus/minus at plus-5 with two players at plus-3. You can see right away that he’s not afraid to throw his body around and get physical in board fights. Additionally, his speed, particularly on the fourth line, was instrumental in scoring situations where the Hurricanes needed it.

He found Jackson Blake in front of the Pittsburgh Penguins goal to score his second goal of the season and kick off the road trip. Seth Jarvis, after signing his eight-year contract, mentioned how Robinson’s speed caught his eye. That’s certainly one of the reasons the Canes added the former Blue Jacket and Buffalo Sabers forward to a roster. one-year contract, $950,000. Although he will be an unrestricted free agent after the season, there is a possibility that he will be barred from being kept here for a few more seasons since he will turn 30 after the deal closes next summer. But overall, he proves why general manager Eric Tulsky wanted him on the team after re-signing him on the first day of free agency on July 1.

Can these canes maintain their current shape?

Although the three players won’t score between 20 and 25 goals per season, they each bring their own style to the Carolina Hurricanes, who are aiming for a seventh straight appearance in the Stanley Cup Playoffs next April. Kotkaniemi is top-five in points and tied for first on the team in assists during a much-needed bounce-back season. Roslovic and Robinson demonstrate the speed that caught the attention of the Hurricanes front office to bring them both in last summer. Could all three maintain their current form?

That remains to be seen, but if they can stay consistent and do their job by doing the right things, these three could make an impact on the team even if points aren’t added to the scoresheet. It’s about the little things and so far all three have done that and more in the team’s 4-2-0 record and two-game winning streak with two games remaining in their current road trip.

These three are worth watching over the coming weeks as we get closer to American Thanksgiving (November 28), where people are really starting to get a feel for how the teams will perform this season. It will be interesting to see where these three and the Canes stand at this point in the season.