‘Our group is just getting started’: Hurricanes’ Stankoven hints at dynasty after Stanley Cup win

Plenty of players on the Stanley Cup-winning Carolina Hurricanes know just how hard it is to win it all. Veterans like Taylor Hall, Freddie Andersen, and Shayne Gostisbehere all had to wait ten-plus years before finally hoisting their first Cup after Carolina’s 3-0 Game 6 win over the Vegas Golden Knights on Sunday. Captain and Conn Smythe winner Jordan Staal had to wait 17 years before finally winning his second Cup.

The Hurricanes have enough young, core pieces, however, that it’s reasonable for them to set their sights on more than just one championship. One of those young Carolina stars is 23-year-old center Logan Stankoven, who led the Hurricanes with 11 goals this postseason. After Sunday’s Game 6, Stankoven spoke abour his belief in his team’s future.

“It’s what you dream of as a kid, and I didn’t think it was going to happen this fast,” Stankoven told Sportsnet’s Kyle Bukauskas. “But I think when you prepare like that and you put the work in, good things will come. And you just got to be patient sometimes… Our group is just getting started.”

Stankoven, along with fellow forwards Andrei Svechnikov, Jackson Blake, and Seth Jarvis, plus defensemen K’Andre Miller and Alexander Nikishin, are all key Carolina players that are in or entering their primes, and should keep the Hurricanes’ window of contention open even as veterans like Staal and Hall age into lesser roles.

Stankoven, who was acquired at the 2025 trade deadline as part of the deal that sent winger Mikko Rantanen to the Dallas Stars, also touched on his move from Dallas to Carolina and how it ultimately led to the glory of winning the Stanley Cup.

“I was obviously very upset to leave (Dallas),” Stankoven said. “And I think it was one of the best things that could ever happen to me. Just looking back on that, I was very thankful for what Dallas did for me. But I think just coming here and how welcoming everyone was right off the bat and how great this team was, and we were able to add some key pieces in the offseason, everyone just stepped up at different times.”