{"id":1402,"date":"2026-05-31T10:03:46","date_gmt":"2026-05-31T10:03:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/?p=1402"},"modified":"2026-05-31T10:03:46","modified_gmt":"2026-05-31T10:03:46","slug":"how-canes-gm-turned-disappointment-into-dominance-on-way-to-stanley-cup-final-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/?p=1402","title":{"rendered":"How Canes GM turned \u2018disappointment\u2019 into dominance on way to Stanley Cup Final"},"content":{"rendered":"

AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.<\/p>\n

Read our AI Policy.<\/a><\/p>\n

Eric Tulsky has readily admitted being an NHL general manager is something he never initially sought, nor at one time thought possible.<\/p>\n

Read more Alaskan Bush People’s Matt Brown Dead at 43 Following Police Search<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cIt would have shocked me,\u201d Tulsky told the News & Observer in 2024, shortly after assuming the role. \u201cA month before I took a job with the Canes (in 2014), I did not even think it was possible I could work in hockey. I was looking for one-off consulting gigs to do on the side because I thought it would be fun. It never really occurred to me that it could really be my job, until it was.\u201d<\/p>\n

He started with the Canes as part-time help in a budding analytics department. A year later, he took a full-time gig. Three years after that, in 2018, he survived an ownership change and front-office cleanout, hailed as one of the best parts of the team\u2019s existing structure.<\/p>\n

Now, 12 years after Tulsky \u2014 an expert in nanotechnology research with a penchant for hockey<\/u><\/a> \u2014 officially began his career in the sport he loves, he has crafted a team that has finally crested a hill they\u2019d ascended seven years running, only to roll back down short of reaching the well, pail unfilled:<\/p>\n

The Hurricanes are going to the Stanley Cup Final.<\/p>\n

And they\u2019re doing it with a Tulsky-crafted roster pundits and critics have panned all season.<\/p>\n

Some of the criticism was friendly fire, too. Fewer than three months ago, after the Hurricanes\u2019 only NHL trade-deadline move was acquiring Nicolas Deslauriers, Canes head coach Rod Brind\u2019Amour said the quiet part out loud.<\/p>\n

\u201cI know there\u2019s a lot of disappointment, I\u2019m going to be honest,\u201d Brind\u2019Amour said on March 6. \u201cThe players were hoping to see us make a splash. It\u2019s tough.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOn one side, it would be nice to throw your chips in and see if you could improve your team,\u201d Brind\u2019Amour continued, \u201cbut we love the group we have.\u201d<\/p>\n

Turns out, so did Tulsky, who ascended to his job after Don Waddell\u2019s abrupt resignation in May 2024 and proceeded to craft a roster based heavily around Brind\u2019Amour\u2019s preferred style of play, and the accompanying analytics that supported player personnel decisions.<\/p>\n

Tulsky\u2019s first offseason was busy. Roster departures included defenders Brady Skjei and Brett Pesce, and forwards Jake Guentzel, Teuvo Teravainen and Stefan Noesen. Additions included Eric Robinson, Tyson Jost, Sean Walker, William Carrier, Jack Roslovic and Shayne Gostisbehere.<\/p>\n

And then, the first big swing \u2014 and the first \u201cPlan A\u201d that turned into arguably a better \u201cPlan B.\u201d<\/p>\n

In January 2025, Tulsky acquired superstar forward Mikko Rantanen from the Colorado Avalanche \u2014 and Taylor Hall from the Chicago Blackhawks \u2014 in a three-team deal that shook the NHL with both its timing and its scope.<\/p>\n

Forty-two days later, Tulsky flipped an obviously disgruntled Rantanen to Dallas for a host of draft picks \u2014 and Logan Stankoven.<\/p>\n

Read more Nvidia’s latest product is a game-changer<\/a><\/p>\n

The end result was another trip to the playoffs, another trip to the Eastern Conference Final \u2014 and another tough loss to Florida in the NHL\u2019s version of the final four.<\/p>\n

But we learned two things through those initial transactions: Tulsky knows his numbers, and he isn\u2019t afraid to swing big when the count and the pitch are right.<\/p>\n

We saw that again in his second offseason. He addressed depth on defense in signing Mike Reilly while simultaneously letting two older defenders in Brent Burns and Dmitry Orlov walk in free agency. He\u2019d seen what he needed to see out of the team\u2019s stable of up-and-coming defenders to be confident that was the right move.<\/p>\n

And then, the second of the big swings \u2014 and the second (reported) \u201cPlan A\u201d that turned into an arguably better \u201cPlan B.\u201d<\/p>\n

After reportedly mulling a $12.5 million offer sheet to prized Edmonton defenseman Evan Bouchard \u2014 which prompted the Oilers to sign Bouchard to a four-year extension \u2014 Tulsky turned around and traded for rising New York Rangers defenseman K\u2019Andre Miller on July 1, promptly signing Miller to an eight-year extension at $7.5 million per year.<\/p>\n

Still well under the salary cap, Tulsky wasn\u2019t done. Two days later, he signed one of the best free agents on the market, forward Nikolaj Ehlers, to a six-year deal worth $8.5 million per season.<\/p>\n

For $3.5 million more per season than it would have cost for Bouchard, Tulsky added Miller and Ehlers to the Canes\u2019 roster.<\/p>\n

That alone was a master class, and worthy of the NHL\u2019s annual Jim Gregory General Manager of the Year Award (despite not even making this year\u2019s top three).<\/p>\n

Then, perhaps the waiver-wire steal of the year: Tulsky nabbed Brandon Bussi off waivers from Florida after losing Cayden Primeau the same way. All Bussi did was win 31 games and hold the fort down for most of the regular season.<\/p>\n

But Tulsky\u2019s gutsiest move over the past two years? Adding only Deslauriers at the 2026 deadline.<\/p>\n

To be fair, it wasn\u2019t for lack of kicking tires. But Tulsky and the Canes\u2019 analytics brain trust didn\u2019t believe that any of the deals made enough sense, given what the team already had on its roster, given the style it plays under Brind\u2019Amour.<\/p>\n

Read more Thinking About Retiring? Here’s Why Indiana Keeps Making the List<\/a><\/p>\n

So, he stuck to his guns.<\/p>\n

Brind\u2019Amour and the coaching staff stuck to their system.<\/p>\n

And the Carolina Hurricanes are going to the Stanley Cup Final.<\/p>\n

Not bad for a guy who never thought he\u2019d have a career in hockey.<\/p>\n

This story was originally published May 29, 2026 at 10:52 PM.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Carolina Hurricanes General Manager Eric Tulsky rose from analytics, built the Carolina Hurricanes into a Stanley Cup Final hockey team. Canes beat Montreal Canadiens in ECF.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1320,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1402","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-read-todays-edition"],"yoast_head":"\nHow Canes GM turned \u2018disappointment\u2019 into dominance on way to Stanley Cup Final - Durham Moving Hub<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/?p=1402\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"How Canes GM turned \u2018disappointment\u2019 into dominance on way to Stanley Cup Final - Durham Moving Hub\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Carolina Hurricanes General Manager Eric Tulsky rose from analytics, built the Carolina Hurricanes into a Stanley Cup Final hockey team. Canes beat Montreal Canadiens in ECF.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/?p=1402\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Durham Moving Hub\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-05-31T10:03:46+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/durhammovinghub.com\\\/?p=1402#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/durhammovinghub.com\\\/?p=1402\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/durhammovinghub.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/bf1f081e7f06a3ab66052e5f6015fd85\"},\"headline\":\"How Canes GM turned \u2018disappointment\u2019 into dominance on way to Stanley Cup Final\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-05-31T10:03:46+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/durhammovinghub.com\\\/?p=1402\"},\"wordCount\":963,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/durhammovinghub.com\\\/?p=1402#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/durhammovinghub.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/1b85ea35e6141a9ec0de1ec75a3c1e01.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"Read today's Edition\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/durhammovinghub.com\\\/?p=1402#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/durhammovinghub.com\\\/?p=1402\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/durhammovinghub.com\\\/?p=1402\",\"name\":\"How Canes GM turned \u2018disappointment\u2019 into dominance on way to Stanley Cup Final - Durham Moving Hub\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/durhammovinghub.com\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/durhammovinghub.com\\\/?p=1402#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/durhammovinghub.com\\\/?p=1402#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/durhammovinghub.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/1b85ea35e6141a9ec0de1ec75a3c1e01.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-05-31T10:03:46+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/durhammovinghub.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/bf1f081e7f06a3ab66052e5f6015fd85\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/durhammovinghub.com\\\/?p=1402#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/durhammovinghub.com\\\/?p=1402\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/durhammovinghub.com\\\/?p=1402#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/durhammovinghub.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/1b85ea35e6141a9ec0de1ec75a3c1e01.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/durhammovinghub.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/1b85ea35e6141a9ec0de1ec75a3c1e01.jpg\",\"width\":1200,\"height\":674},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/durhammovinghub.com\\\/?p=1402#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/durhammovinghub.com\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"How Canes GM turned \u2018disappointment\u2019 into dominance on way to Stanley Cup Final\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/durhammovinghub.com\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/durhammovinghub.com\\\/\",\"name\":\"Durham Moving Hub\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/durhammovinghub.com\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/durhammovinghub.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/bf1f081e7f06a3ab66052e5f6015fd85\",\"name\":\"admin\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"admin\"},\"sameAs\":[\"http:\\\/\\\/durhammovinghub.com\"],\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/durhammovinghub.com\\\/?author=1\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"How Canes GM turned \u2018disappointment\u2019 into dominance on way to Stanley Cup Final - Durham Moving Hub","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/?p=1402","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"How Canes GM turned \u2018disappointment\u2019 into dominance on way to Stanley Cup Final - Durham Moving Hub","og_description":"Carolina Hurricanes General Manager Eric Tulsky rose from analytics, built the Carolina Hurricanes into a Stanley Cup Final hockey team. Canes beat Montreal Canadiens in ECF.","og_url":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/?p=1402","og_site_name":"Durham Moving Hub","article_published_time":"2026-05-31T10:03:46+00:00","author":"admin","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"admin","Est. reading time":"5 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/?p=1402#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/?p=1402"},"author":{"name":"admin","@id":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/#\/schema\/person\/bf1f081e7f06a3ab66052e5f6015fd85"},"headline":"How Canes GM turned \u2018disappointment\u2019 into dominance on way to Stanley Cup Final","datePublished":"2026-05-31T10:03:46+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/?p=1402"},"wordCount":963,"commentCount":0,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/?p=1402#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/1b85ea35e6141a9ec0de1ec75a3c1e01.jpg","articleSection":["Read today's Edition"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/?p=1402#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/?p=1402","url":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/?p=1402","name":"How Canes GM turned \u2018disappointment\u2019 into dominance on way to Stanley Cup Final - Durham Moving Hub","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/?p=1402#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/?p=1402#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/1b85ea35e6141a9ec0de1ec75a3c1e01.jpg","datePublished":"2026-05-31T10:03:46+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/#\/schema\/person\/bf1f081e7f06a3ab66052e5f6015fd85"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/?p=1402#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/?p=1402"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/?p=1402#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/1b85ea35e6141a9ec0de1ec75a3c1e01.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/1b85ea35e6141a9ec0de1ec75a3c1e01.jpg","width":1200,"height":674},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/?p=1402#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"How Canes GM turned \u2018disappointment\u2019 into dominance on way to Stanley Cup Final"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/","name":"Durham Moving Hub","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/#\/schema\/person\/bf1f081e7f06a3ab66052e5f6015fd85","name":"admin","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"admin"},"sameAs":["http:\/\/durhammovinghub.com"],"url":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/?author=1"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1402","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1402"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1402\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/1320"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1402"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1402"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1402"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}