After the Washington Capitals’ elimination, head coach Spencer Carbery praised the Carolina Hurricanes, particularly defenseman Jaccob Slavin, whom he believes deserves more recognition for the Norris Trophy. Slavin contributed a crucial overtime goal in Game 1 and led in ice time during the second round, while Carolina effectively contained Washington’s high-scoring offense. Hurricanes coach Rod Brind’Amour commended his defense for their performance, especially in Game 5, where they managed to pick up the slack with a rookie debuting in a challenging situation.