Champion Hurricanes still the team to beat — even without landing Hellebuyck

Winning is becoming a way of life for the Carolina Hurricanes.

The Canes, of course, captured the Stanley Cup about four months ago, validating several seasons of high-end hockey with that elusive title. If you thought Carolina might be slowed by a championship hangover — a guilty hand is going up right here — think again.

The Storm Boys walloped the St. Louis Blues 4-0 in Missouri on Saturday and sit comfortably atop a Metropolitan Division that got a bit tougher over the weekend (more on that later).

Even without a game on Sunday, the Hurricanes still scored a ‘W’ by inking 25-year-old defenceman Alexander Nikishin — a restricted free agent who had not played this season — to a one-year deal worth $3 million.

Considering Nikishin’s ask was thought to be somewhere in the Zeev Buium range — the young Canucks blue-liner signed an extension worth $75 over eight years in early September — it’s easy to see this one-year pact as a coup for Canes GM Eric Tulsky and his front office.

Now, if you want to look at this through a different lens, it’s fair to wonder if the optimal outcome with Nikishin was to make him part of a package to acquire goalie Connor Hellebuyck from Winnipeg. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported during the protracted Hellebuyck saga that if Nikishin was willing to sign an extension with the Jets, the deal could well have got done.

That never came together, though, and Carolina watched its Metro rivals from New Jersey swoop in and snag the decorated goalie on Friday.

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The path out of the division may have become a bit tougher, but Nikishin — who still has two more seasons of team control after this one — remains a valuable trade chip in the right deal if that’s the route the team decides to take.

While we know Tulsky is always ready to pounce at something that can make Carolina better, the team is hardly begging for upgrades. Top centre Sebastian Aho is producing points at the highest clip of his career, 2C Logan Stankoven has a team-high eight goals and Jackson Blake is a point-per-game player in Year 1 of an eight-year deal that carries a paltry cap hit of just over $5 million.

Seth Jarvis has already returned from off-season shoulder surgery to pot three points in two games and even the significant injuries the team does have right now are to vets — captain Jordan Staal and reborn winger Taylor Hall — who Carolina just needs healthy and ready when playoff time comes.

Adding Hellebuyck might have nudged this club up into super-team territory, but Pyotr Kochetkov does have a sparkling 7-0-0 record and .916 save percentage after blanking the Blues. And even if Brandon Bussi can’t match those numbers right now, he was still good enough to come in from the bullpen last year and close out the Stanley Cup Final for this team.

There’s a long path ahead for Carolina to make a return appearance in that final series, but — right now — it’s hard to find another Eastern Conference team you’d rather bet on to do it.

• Since the start of last season, only six players — Nathan MacKinnon, Kirill Kaprizov, Cole Caufield, Connor McDavid, Jason Robertson and Macklin Celebrini — have scored more goals than Steven Stamkos’ 49. The 36-year-old pumped in two on Sunday night as the Predators dumped MacKinnon’s Colorado Avalanche 6-2 in Nashville.

Ryan O'Reilly also bagged a brace in the game, part of a big four-point night that has the 35-year-old centre — fun fact, O’Reilly was born exactly one year after Stamkos on Feb. 7, 1991 — up to 12 points in 11 outings this year.

O’Reilly recorded 74 points last season, the second-best total of his fantastic career.

Whether these guys ultimately land on new teams as part of a Nashville re-tool or simply keep the Preds relevant in the playoff chase all season, it’s hard to overstate how impressive ‘Stammer’ and ‘ROR’ have been over what is now a 90-plus game sample size.

• While it was in a losing cause in Nashville, Colorado winger Artturi Lehkonen scored again on Sunday. The 31-year-old is up to 10 goals on the year and has found the net in three straight games.

We’ll go ahead and say his league-best 45.5 per cent shooting percentage is due for a dive, but you do wonder if Lehkonen — always a dependable scorer since he got to Colorado in 2022 — is going to have a one-off year where he improves his career-best from 27 tallies to something like 39.

That’s certainly a possibility when you’re digging out pucks for and finishing passes from a centre like MacKinnon on the top line. Whatever the case, Lehkonen’s timing couldn’t be better, as he’s eligible to become a UFA in July.

1. Edmonton Oilers (8-2-1): After losing to one former team — the Maple Leafs — on Saturday, Oilers coach Mike Babcock will see another squad he once coached on Monday when the Detroit Red Wings come to town.

Babcock’s most recent playoff series win came 13 years ago with the Wings in 2013.

2. Toronto Maple Leafs (7-4-2): Make it four wins in a row for the Buds, who could really get on a run with games coming up in Calgary, Seattle and Vancouver this week.

3. Ottawa Senators (8-4-0): The Sens begin a crucial five-game roadie on Tuesday in Vegas.

Ottawa has been very resilient through a whack of injuries this season and the Sens — with No. 1 goalie Linus Ullmark sidelined — will have to buck up again to keep the good early-season vibes going.

4. Montreal Canadiens (6-3-2): Kaiden Guhle started the season a touch late while recovering from surgery, but he’s making a big impression since returning.

The 24-year-old rearguard has scored in two straight contests after finding the net on Friday in Chicago and outdoors Sunday night in Winnipeg.

5. Winnipeg Jets (4-4-3): With the Jets now on a five-game losing skid and set to play four games this week, will Nico Daws get his first start with the club?

6. Calgary Flames (4-6-0): Devin Cooley, ladies and gentlemen!

The Flames goalie has won three straight starts while posting a .962 save percentage.

7. Vancouver Canucks (2-10-1): The Canucks’ worst season came during their second year in the NHL, when they posted a .308 points percentage in 1971-72.

With 10 straight setbacks, it sure feels like Vancouver could give that sad mark a real run for its money this season.

• Peter Laviolette will lead the Kings into his old stomping grounds at Madison Square Garden on Monday as L.A. and former Ranger Artemi Panarin visit the Blueshirts.

• We’ve got a real tasty Eastern Conference tilt on Tuesday, with the Atlantic-leading Bruins visiting the Metro’s best team in Carolina. Boston has collected 15 of a possible 16 points in its past eight outings.

• There’s at least a chance Connor Hellebuyck will make his Devils debut on Wednesday night in Colorado, as New Jersey plays the second of back-to-back games in Denver. The Avs, of course, know Hellebuyck well from their shared history in the Central Division.

That same night, we’ll get our first Battle of Alberta this season when the Flames visit Edmonton.

• There’s all kinds of Halloween fun scheduled for Saturday, as the league closes out October with a 10-game, all-day slate. Among the highlights are an Original Six duel between the Hawks and Bruins in Boston (1 p.m.

ET), the Lightning visiting old pal Steven Stamkos in Nashville (2 p.m. ET) and Sidney Crosby at the Bell Centre in Montreal, where the Habs host the Pens (7 p.m.

ET).

Hurricanes sign defenceman Alexander Nikishin to one-year, $3M deal

What we learned from Connor Hellebuyck’s first weekend with the Devils