Where do the Carolina Hurricanes go from here?

The Carolina Hurricanes' playoff run is over once again, earlier than a lot of people thought but certainly in line with their recent postseason performances.

This is starting to feel like a team that just can't get it done as the season advances from April to mid-to-late May. And look, it's really hard to do that consistently. Since 2018-19, the Hurricanes have failed to make it out of the first round just once, and only five teams have more playoff wins than they do in that stretch. But they also have just one playoff run deeper than the second round (the Florida Panthers swept them in last year's Eastern Conference Final), and that probably tells you a lot about their ability to close things out and their talent level, especially up front.

This season, they addressed that in part by addin