# 2005–06 Carolina Hurricanes season

The 2005–06 Carolina Hurricanes season was the franchise's 34th season, 27th season in the National Hockey League and eighth as the Hurricanes. The Hurricanes won the Stanley Cup to win the second championship in franchise history. Their first was in 1973, when the team was known as the New England Whalers and played in the World Hockey Association; the Whalers were the inaugural champions of that league.

## Offseason

Key dates prior to the start of the season:
* The 2005 NHL entry draft took place in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada on July 30, 2005.
* The free agency period began on August 1.

### Free agency

* During the free agent signing period following the end of the 2004–05 NHL lockout, Cory Stillman agreed to a three-year contract with the Carolina Hurricanes on August 2, 2005.
* On August 6, 2005, Whitney signed a two-year contract with the Carolina Hurricanes of the NHL's Eastern Conference, paying him $1.5 million per year.

## Regular season

On Friday, April 7, 2006, the Hurricanes scored three short-handed goals in a 4–3 win over the Washington Capitals.

### Final standings

Southeast Division :
| No. | CR | | GP | W | L | OTL | GF | GA | Pts |
| 1 | 2 | Carolina Hurricanes | 82 | 52 | 22 | 8 | 294 | 260 | 112 |
| 2 | 8 | Tampa Bay Lightning | 82 | 43 | 33 | 6 | 252 | 260 | 92 |
| 3 | 10 | Atlanta Thrashers | 82 | 41 | 33 | 8 | 281 | 275 | 90 |
| 4 | 11 | Florida Panthers | 82 | 37 | 34 | 11 | 240 | 257 | 85 |
| 5 | 14 | Washington Capitals | 82 | 29 | 41 | 12 | 237 | 306 | 70 |
Note: CR = Conference rank; GP = Games played; W = Wins; L = Losses; T = Ties; OTL = Overtime loss; GF = Goals for; GA = Goals against; Pts = Points Bolded teams qualified for the playoffs.
Eastern Conference :
| R | | Div | GP | W | L | OTL | GF | GA | Pts |
| 1 | Z- Ottawa Senators | NE | 82 | 52 | 21 | 9 | 314 | 211 | 113 |
| 2 | Y- Carolina Hurricanes | SE | 82 | 52 | 22 | 8 | 294 | 260 | 112 |
| 3 | Y- New Jersey Devils | AT | 82 | 46 | 27 | 9 | 242 | 229 | 101 |
| 4 | X- Buffalo Sabres | NE | 82 | 52 | 24 | 6 | 242 | 239 | 110 |
| 5 | X- Philadelphia Flyers | AT | 82 | 45 | 26 | 11 | 267 | 259 | 101 |
| 6 | X- New York Rangers | AT | 82 | 44 | 26 | 12 | 257 | 215 | 100 |
| 7 | X- Montreal Canadiens | NE | 82 | 42 | 31 | 9 | 243 | 247 | 93 |
| 8 | X- Tampa Bay Lightning | SE | 82 | 43 | 33 | 6 | 252 | 260 | 92 |
| 8.5 ||||||||||
| 9 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NE | 82 | 41 | 33 | 8 | 257 | 270 | 90 |
| 10 | Atlanta Thrashers | SE | 82 | 41 | 33 | 8 | 281 | 275 | 90 |
| 11 | Florida Panthers | SE | 82 | 37 | 34 | 11 | 240 | 257 | 85 |
| 12 | New York Islanders | AT | 82 | 36 | 40 | 6 | 230 | 278 | 78 |
| 13 | Boston Bruins | NE | 82 | 29 | 37 | 16 | 230 | 266 | 74 |
| 14 | Washington Capitals | SE | 82 | 29 | 41 | 12 | 237 | 306 | 70 |
| 15 | Pittsburgh Penguins | AT | 82 | 22 | 46 | 14 | 244 | 316 | 58 |
Divisions: AT – Atlantic, NE – Northeast, SE – Southeast
Z – Clinched Conference; Y – Clinched Division; X – Clinched Playoff spot

## Playoffs

The Carolina Hurricanes ended the 2005–06 regular season as the winners of the Southeast Division, with 112 points. The Hurricanes received the second seed in the Eastern Conference, just one point behind the Ottawa Senators.
The Hurricanes defeated the Montreal Canadiens in the first round, four games to two. In the second round, the Hurricanes defeated the New Jersey Devils, four games to one. In the Conference Final, the Hurricanes defeated the Buffalo Sabres in a game seven to advance to the Stanley Cup Finals for the second time in franchise history. In the Final, the Hurricanes defeated the Edmonton Oilers in another game seven to claim the franchise's first Stanley Cup championship.

## Schedule and results
### Regular season

2005–06 regular season :
October: 8–2–1 (home: 5–0–0; road: 3–2–1)
GameResultDateScoreOpponentRecordRecap
1LOctober 5, 20052–5@ Tampa Bay Lightning (2005–06)0–1–0Recap
2WOctober 7, 20053–2 SOPittsburgh Penguins (2005–06)1–1–0Recap
3LOctober 8, 20052–3@ New York Islanders (2005–06)1–2–0Recap
4WOctober 12, 20057–2Washington Capitals (2005–06)2–2–0Recap
5WOctober 15, 20056–1@ New Jersey Devils (2005–06)3–2–0Recap
6LOctober 20, 20054–5 OT@ Toronto Maple Leafs (2005–06)3–2–1Recap
7WOctober 22, 20054–0@ Washington Capitals (2005–06)4–2–1Recap
8WOctober 24, 20053–2Ottawa Senators (2005–06)5–2–1Recap
9WOctober 26, 20054–3 OTBoston Bruins (2005–06)6–2–1Recap
10WOctober 28, 20058–6Philadelphia Flyers (2005–06)7–2–1Recap
11WOctober 29, 20055–3@ Pittsburgh Penguins (2005–06)8–2–1Recap :
November: 8–5–0 (home: 4–4–0; road: 4–1–0)
GameResultDateScoreOpponentRecordRecap
12WNovember 3, 20054–3Toronto Maple Leafs (2005–06)9–2–1Recap
13WNovember 5, 20052–0Florida Panthers (2005–06)10–2–1Recap
14WNovember 9, 20055–3@ Buffalo Sabres (2005–06)11–2–1Recap
15WNovember 11, 20051–0@ Florida Panthers (2005–06)12–2–1Recap
16LNovember 12, 20050–9Atlanta Thrashers (2005–06)12–3–1Recap
17WNovember 15, 20052–1@ Ottawa Senators (2005–06)13–3–1Recap
18WNovember 17, 20055–1New York Rangers (2005–06)14–3–1Recap
19LNovember 19, 20053–4@ New York Rangers (2005–06)14–4–1Recap
20LNovember 20, 20052–5Tampa Bay Lightning (2005–06)14–5–1Recap
21LNovember 22, 20053–5Ottawa Senators (2005–06)14–6–1Recap
22WNovember 25, 20054–3 SOToronto Maple Leafs (2005–06)15–6–1Recap
23LNovember 27, 20052–5Atlanta Thrashers (2005–06)15–7–1Recap
24WNovember 29, 20054–3 OT@ Atlanta Thrashers (2005–06)16–7–1Recap :
December: 8–3–3 (home: 6–0–1; road: 2–3–2)
GameResultDateScoreOpponentRecordRecap
25LDecember 2, 20054–5 SO@ Dallas Stars (2005–06)16–7–2Recap
26LDecember 3, 20054–8@ Phoenix Coyotes (2005–06)16–8–2Recap
27WDecember 6, 20056–2@ Mighty Ducks of Anaheim (2005–06)17–8–2Recap
28WDecember 8, 20053–2@ Los Angeles Kings (2005–06)18–8–2Recap
29LDecember 10, 20053–4@ San Jose Sharks (2005–06)18–9–2Recap
30WDecember 13, 20055–3Chicago Blackhawks (2005–06)19–9–2Recap
31WDecember 15, 20052–1Columbus Blue Jackets (2005–06)20–9–2Recap
32WDecember 17, 20054–1New Jersey Devils (2005–06)21–9–2Recap
33WDecember 20, 20056–4Tampa Bay Lightning (2005–06)22–9–2Recap
34WDecember 23, 20054–3Florida Panthers (2005–06)23–9–2Recap
35LDecember 26, 20054–5 OT@ Tampa Bay Lightning (2005–06)23–9–3Recap
36LDecember 28, 20052–6@ Ottawa Senators (2005–06)23–10–3Recap
37LDecember 29, 20053–4 OTPhiladelphia Flyers (2005–06)23–10–4Recap
38WDecember 31, 20055–3Montreal Canadiens (2005–06)24–10–4Recap :
January: 13–1–0 (home: 8–0–0; road: 5–1–0)
GameResultDateScoreOpponentRecordRecap
39WJanuary 4, 20064–3Atlanta Thrashers (2005–06)25–10–4Recap
40WJanuary 6, 20064–1New York Islanders (2005–06)26–10–4Recap
41WJanuary 7, 20063–0@ New York Islanders (2005–06)27–10–4Recap
42WJanuary 10, 20063–2Detroit Red Wings (2005–06)28–10–4Recap
43WJanuary 13, 20065–4 OTNashville Predators (2005–06)29–10–4Recap
44WJanuary 15, 20064–2St. Louis Blues (2005–06)30–10–4Recap
45WJanuary 17, 20064–3 SO@ Philadelphia Flyers (2005–06)31–10–4Recap
46WJanuary 19, 20064–3New York Islanders (2005–06)32–10–4Recap
47LJanuary 21, 20062–5@ Washington Capitals (2005–06)32–11–4Recap
48WJanuary 23, 20067–3Montreal Canadiens (2005–06)33–11–4Recap
49WJanuary 25, 20064–3 SO@ Florida Panthers (2005–06)34–11–4Recap
50WJanuary 26, 20065–1@ Atlanta Thrashers (2005–06)35–11–4Recap
51WJanuary 28, 20064–1Atlanta Thrashers (2005–06)36–11–4Recap
52WJanuary 31, 20068–2@ Montreal Canadiens (2005–06)37–11–4Recap :
February: 2–3–0 (home: 1–1–0; road: 1–2–0)
GameResultDateScoreOpponentRecordRecap
53LFebruary 3, 20060–3@ New Jersey Devils (2005–06)37–12–4Recap
54WFebruary 5, 20064–3 SO@ Boston Bruins (2005–06)38–12–4Recap
55LFebruary 9, 20063–5@ Tampa Bay Lightning (2005–06)38–13–4Recap
56LFebruary 10, 20063–4Pittsburgh Penguins (2005–06)38–14–4Recap
57WFebruary 12, 20064–3 SOBuffalo Sabres (2005–06)39–14–4Recap :
March: 9–5–2 (home: 5–2–0; road: 4–3–2)
GameResultDateScoreOpponentRecordRecap
58WMarch 1, 20064–3Boston Bruins (2005–06)40–14–4Recap
59WMarch 3, 20065–2Florida Panthers (2005–06)41–14–4Recap
60WMarch 4, 20067–5@ Pittsburgh Penguins (2005–06)42–14–4Recap
61WMarch 6, 20062–1@ New York Rangers (2005–06)43–14–4Recap
62LMarch 8, 20062–3 SO@ Philadelphia Flyers (2005–06)43–14–5Recap
63LMarch 10, 20063–5@ Florida Panthers (2005–06)43–15–5Recap
64LMarch 11, 20063–4 OT@ Florida Panthers (2005–06)43–15–6Recap
65WMarch 14, 20065–3New York Rangers (2005–06)44–15–6Recap
66WMarch 16, 20065–1@ Montreal Canadiens (2005–06)45–15–6Recap
67LMarch 18, 20062–4@ Boston Bruins (2005–06)45–16–6Recap
68LMarch 21, 20062–3@ Toronto Maple Leafs (2005–06)45–17–6Recap
69WMarch 22, 20064–3@ Buffalo Sabres (2005–06)46–17–6Recap
70LMarch 25, 20061–3Washington Capitals (2005–06)46–18–6Recap
71WMarch 27, 20062–1Tampa Bay Lightning (2005–06)47–18–6Recap
72LMarch 29, 20061–5Washington Capitals (2005–06)47–19–6Recap
73WMarch 31, 20063–2Florida Panthers (2005–06)48–19–6Recap :
April: 4–3–2 (home: 2–1–1; road: 2–2–1)
GameResultDateScoreOpponentRecordRecap
74LApril 1, 20062–5@ Atlanta Thrashers (2005–06)48–20–6Recap
75WApril 3, 20066–5 OTWashington Capitals (2005–06)49–20–6Recap
76WApril 5, 20064–3 SO@ Washington Capitals (2005–06)50–20–6Recap
77WApril 7, 20064–3@ Washington Capitals (2005–06)51–20–6Recap
78LApril 8, 20062–5@ Atlanta Thrashers (2005–06)51–21–6Recap
79LApril 11, 20063–4 OTNew Jersey Devils (2005–06)51–21–7Recap
80WApril 14, 20065–4 SOTampa Bay Lightning (2005–06)52–21–7Recap
81LApril 15, 20062–3 OT@ Tampa Bay Lightning (2005–06)52–21–8Recap
82LApril 18, 20060–4Buffalo Sabres (2005–06)52–22–8Recap :
Legend:
  Win (2 points)
  Loss (0 points)
  Overtime/shootout loss (1 point) :

### Playoffs

2006 Stanley Cup playoffs :
Eastern Conference Quarterfinals vs. (7) Montreal Canadiens – Hurricanes win 4–2
GameResultDateScoreOpponentSeriesRecap
1LApril 22, 20061–6Montreal CanadiensCanadiens lead 1–0Recap
2LApril 24, 20065–6 OTMontreal CanadiensCanadiens lead 2–0Recap
3WApril 26, 20062–1 OT@ Montreal CanadiensCanadiens lead 2–1Recap
4WApril 28, 20063–2@ Montreal CanadiensSeries tied 2–2Recap
5WApril 30, 20062–1Montreal CanadiensHurricanes lead 3–2Recap
6WMay 2, 20062–1 OT@ Montreal CanadiensHurricanes win 4–2Recap :
Eastern Conference Semifinals vs. (3) New Jersey Devils – Hurricanes win 4–1
GameResultDateScoreOpponentSeriesRecap
1WMay 6, 20066–0New Jersey DevilsHurricanes lead 1–0Recap
2WMay 8, 20063–2 OTNew Jersey DevilsHurricanes lead 2–0Recap
3WMay 10, 20063–2@ New Jersey DevilsHurricanes lead 3–0Recap
4LMay 13, 20061–5@ New Jersey DevilsHurricanes lead 3–1Recap
5WMay 14, 20064–1New Jersey DevilsHurricanes win 4–1Recap :
Eastern Conference Finals vs. (4) Buffalo Sabres – Hurricanes win 4–3
GameResultDateScoreOpponentSeriesRecap
1LMay 20, 20062–3Buffalo SabresSabres lead 1–0Recap
2WMay 22, 20064–3Buffalo SabresSeries tied 1–1Recap
3LMay 24, 20063–4@ Buffalo SabresSabres lead 2–1Recap
4WMay 26, 20064–0@ Buffalo SabresSeries tied 2–2Recap
5WMay 28, 20064–3 OTBuffalo SabresHurricanes lead 3–2Recap
6LMay 30, 20061–2 OT@ Buffalo SabresSeries tied 3–3Recap
7WJune 1, 20064–2Buffalo SabresHurricanes win 4–3Recap :
Stanley Cup Finals vs. (W8) Edmonton Oilers – Hurricanes win 4–3
GameResultDateScoreOpponentSeriesRecap
1WJune 5, 20065–4Edmonton OilersHurricanes lead 1–0Recap
2WJune 7, 20065–0Edmonton OilersHurricanes lead 2–0Recap
3LJune 10, 20061–2@ Edmonton OilersHurricanes lead 2–1Recap
4WJune 12, 20062–1@ Edmonton OilersHurricanes lead 3–1Recap
5LJune 14, 20063–4 OTEdmonton OilersHurricanes lead 3–2Recap
6LJune 17, 20060–4@ Edmonton OilersSeries tied 3–3Recap
7WJune 19, 20063–1Edmonton OilersHurricanes win 4–3Recap :
Legend:
  Win
  Loss :

## Player statistics
### Scoring

* Position abbreviations: C = Center; D = Defense; G = Goaltender; LW = Left wing; RW = Right wing
* † = Joined team via a transaction (e.g., trade, waivers, signing) during the season. Stats reflect time with the Hurricanes only.
* ‡ = Left team via a transaction (e.g., trade, waivers, release) during the season. Stats reflect time with the Hurricanes only.
| No. | Player | Pos | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Playoffs | Playoffs | Playoffs | Playoffs | Playoffs | Playoffs |
| No. | Player | Pos | GP | G | A | Pts | +/- | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | +/- | PIM |
| 12 | Eric Staal | C | 82 | 45 | 55 | 100 | −8 | 81 | 25 | 9 | 19 | 28 | 0 | 8 |
| 11 | Justin Williams | RW | 82 | 31 | 45 | 76 | 1 | 60 | 25 | 7 | 11 | 18 | 12 | 34 |
| 61 | Cory Stillman | LW | 72 | 21 | 55 | 76 | −9 | 32 | 25 | 9 | 17 | 26 | 12 | 14 |
| 17 | Rod Brind'Amour | C | 78 | 31 | 39 | 70 | 8 | 68 | 25 | 12 | 6 | 18 | 9 | 16 |
| 26 | Erik Cole | RW | 60 | 30 | 29 | 59 | 19 | 54 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | −1 | 0 |
| 13 | Ray Whitney | RW | 63 | 17 | 38 | 55 | 0 | 42 | 24 | 9 | 6 | 15 | −1 | 14 |
| 8 | Matt Cullen | C | 78 | 25 | 24 | 49 | 4 | 40 | 25 | 4 | 14 | 18 | 2 | 12 |
| 5 | Frantisek Kaberle | D | 77 | 6 | 38 | 44 | 8 | 46 | 25 | 4 | 9 | 13 | −7 | 8 |
| 6 | Bret Hedican | D | 74 | 5 | 22 | 27 | 11 | 58 | 25 | 2 | 9 | 11 | 6 | 42 |
| 4 | Aaron Ward | D | 71 | 6 | 19 | 25 | 2 | 62 | 25 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 0 | 18 |
| 14 | Kevyn Adams | C | 82 | 15 | 8 | 23 | 0 | 36 | 25 | 0 | 0 | 0 | −4 | 14 |
| 70 | Oleg Tverdovsky | D | 72 | 3 | 20 | 23 | −1 | 37 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | −1 | 0 |
| 27 | Craig Adams | RW | 67 | 10 | 11 | 21 | 1 | 51 | 25 | 0 | 0 | 0 | −4 | 10 |
| 39 | Doug Weight† | C | 23 | 4 | 9 | 13 | −6 | 25 | 23 | 3 | 13 | 16 | −3 | 20 |
| 22 | Mike Commodore | D | 72 | 3 | 10 | 13 | 12 | 138 | 25 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 33 |
| 59 | Chad LaRose | RW | 49 | 1 | 12 | 13 | 7 | 35 | 21 | 0 | 1 | 1 | −2 | 10 |
| 16 | Andrew Ladd | LW | 29 | 6 | 5 | 11 | 0 | 4 | 17 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 0 | 4 |
| 24 | Andrew Hutchinson | D | 36 | 3 | 8 | 11 | −2 | 18 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2 | Glen Wesley | D | 64 | 2 | 8 | 10 | 10 | 46 | 25 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 16 |
| 63 | Josef Vasicek | C | 23 | 4 | 5 | 9 | 3 | 8 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | −2 | 2 |
| 7 | Niclas Wallin | D | 50 | 4 | 4 | 8 | 2 | 42 | 25 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 14 |
| 18 | Mark Recchi† | RW | 20 | 4 | 3 | 7 | −8 | 12 | 25 | 7 | 9 | 16 | −5 | 18 |
| 44 | Niklas Nordgren‡ | LW | 43 | 4 | 2 | 6 | −4 | 40 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 48 | Anton Babchuk† | D | 22 | 3 | 2 | 5 | −2 | 6 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 19 | Radim Vrbata‡ | RW | 16 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 0 | 6 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 30 | Cam Ward | G | 28 | 0 | 2 | 2 | | 0 | 23 | 0 | 1 | 1 | | 0 |
| 29 | Martin Gerber | G | 60 | 0 | 2 | 2 | | 4 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | | 4 |
| 18 | Michael Zigomanis‡ | C | 21 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 34 | David Gove | C | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 37 | Keith Aucoin | C | 7 | 0 | 1 | 1 | −4 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 51 | Danny Richmond‡ | D | 10 | 0 | 1 | 1 | −3 | 7 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 36 | Jesse Boulerice‡ | RW | 26 | 0 | 0 | 0 | −3 | 51 | — | — | — | — | — | — |

### Goaltending

| No. | Player | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Playoffs | Playoffs | Playoffs | Playoffs | Playoffs | Playoffs | Playoffs | Playoffs | Playoffs |
| No. | Player | GP | W | L | OT | SA | GA | GAA | SV% | SO | TOI | GP | W | L | SA | GA | GAA | SV% | SO | TOI |
| 29 | Martin Gerber | 60 | 38 | 14 | 6 | 1719 | 162 | 2.78 | .906 | 3 | 3493 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 90 | 13 | 3.52 | .856 | 1 | 221 |
| 30 | Cam Ward | 28 | 14 | 8 | 2 | 773 | 91 | 3.68 | .882 | 0 | 1484 | 23 | 15 | 8 | 584 | 47 | 2.14 | .920 | 2 | 1320 |

## Awards and honors
### Awards

| Type | Award/honor | Recipient |
| League (annual) | Conn Smythe Trophy | Cam Ward |
| League (annual) | Frank J. Selke Trophy | Rod Brind'Amour |
| League (annual) | NHL Second All-Star Team | Eric Staal (Center) |
| League (in-season) | NHL Offensive Player of the Month | Eric Staal (October) |
| League (in-season) | NHL Offensive Player of the Week | Eric Staal (October 31) |
| League (in-season) | NHL Offensive Player of the Week | Eric Staal (January 16) |
| League (in-season) | NHL Offensive Player of the Week | Eric Staal (March 6) |
| Team | Good Guy Award | Aaron Ward |
| Team | Most Valuable Player | Eric Staal |
| Team | Steve Chiasson Award | Rod Brind'Amour |

### Milestones

| Milestone | Player | Date |
| First game | Niklas Nordgren | October 5, 2005 |
| First game | Cam Ward | October 5, 2005 |
| First game | Danny Richmond | November 11, 2005 |
| First game | Andrew Ladd | November 20, 2005 |
| First game | Chad LaRose | December 6, 2005 |
| First game | Keith Aucoin | January 23, 2006 |
| First game | David Gove | January 31, 2006 |

## Transactions

The Hurricanes were involved in the following transactions from February 17, 2005, the day after the 2004–05 NHL season was officially cancelled, through June 19, 2006, the day of the deciding game of the 2006 Stanley Cup Finals.

### Trades

| Date | Details | Details |
| July 29, 2005 (2005-07-29) | To Nashville Predators Phoenix’s 3rd-round pick in 2005 | To Carolina Hurricanes Andrew Hutchinson |
| July 29, 2005 (2005-07-29) | To Calgary Flames Atlanta’s 3rd-round pick in 2005 | To Carolina Hurricanes Mike Commodore |
| July 30, 2005 (2005-07-30) | To Toronto Maple Leafs Jeff O'Neill | To Carolina Hurricanes Conditional 4th-round pick in 2006 |
| July 30, 2005 (2005-07-30) | To Columbus Blue Jackets Toronto’s 4th-round pick in 2005 | To Carolina Hurricanes Rights to Derrick Walser4th-round pick in 2006 |
| October 3, 2005 (2005-10-03) | To Anaheim Mighty Ducks Bruno St. Jacques | To Carolina Hurricanes Craig Adams |
| December 28, 2005 (2005-12-28) | To Washington Capitals Colin Forbes | To Carolina Hurricanes Stephen Peat |
| December 28, 2005 (2005-12-28) | To Phoenix Coyotes Pavel Brendl | To Carolina Hurricanes Krys Kolanos |
| December 29, 2005 (2005-12-29) | To Chicago Blackhawks Radim Vrbata | To Carolina Hurricanes Future considerations |
| January 20, 2006 (2006-01-20) | To Chicago Blackhawks Danny RichmondColumbus’ 4th-round pick in 2006 | To Carolina Hurricanes Anton Babchuk4th-round pick in 2007 |
| January 30, 2006 (2006-01-30) | To St. Louis Blues Jesse BoulericeMichael ZigomanisRights to Magnus Kahnberg1st-round pick in 2006Toronto’s 4th-round pick in 2006Chicago’s 4th-round pick in 2007 | To Carolina Hurricanes Doug WeightRights to Erkki Rajamaki |
| March 9, 2006 (2006-03-09) | To Pittsburgh Penguins Krys KolanosNiklas Nordgren2nd-round pick in 2007 | To Carolina Hurricanes Mark Recchi |

### Players acquired

| Date | Player | Former team | Term | Via |
| August 2, 2005 (2005-08-02) | Cory Stillman | Tampa Bay Lightning | 3-year | Free agency |
| August 4, 2005 (2005-08-04) | Keith Aucoin | Providence Bruins (AHL) | 1-year | Free agency |
| August 4, 2005 (2005-08-04) | David Gove | Providence Bruins (AHL) | 1-year | Free agency |
| August 4, 2005 (2005-08-04) | Oleg Tverdovsky | Avangard Omsk (RSL) | 3-year | Free agency |
| August 6, 2005 (2005-08-06) | Ray Whitney | Detroit Red Wings | 2-year | Free agency |
| August 16, 2005 (2005-08-16) | Chris Hajt | Portland Pirates (AHL) | 1-year | Free agency |
| September 15, 2005 (2005-09-15) | Vince Bellissimo | San Antonio Rampage (AHL) | 2-year | Free agency |

### Players lost

| Date | Player | New team | Via |
| August 10, 2005 (2005-08-10) | Ed Hill | Phoenix Roadrunners (ECHL) | Free agency (UFA) |
| August 12, 2005 (2005-08-12) | Allan Rourke | New York Islanders | Free agency (VI) |
| August 15, 2005 (2005-08-15) | Brad Fast | Los Angeles Kings | Free agency (UFA) |
| August 16, 2005 (2005-08-16) | Marty Murray | Hannover Scorpions (DEL) | Free agency (UFA) |
| August 30, 2005 (2005-08-30) | Rob Zepp | SaiPa (Liiga) | Free agency (UFA) |
| September 8, 2005 (2005-09-08) | Jared Newman | Missouri River Otters (UHL) | Free agency (UFA) |
| October 2005 (2005-10) | Jim Henkel | Norfolk Admirals (AHL) | Free agency (UFA) |
| October 13, 2005 (2005-10-13) | Sean Curry | Providence Bruins (AHL) | Free agency (UFA) |
| November 16, 2005 (2005-11-16) | Ryan Bayda | Manitoba Moose (AHL) | Free agency (UFA) |
| N/A | Daniel Boisclair | Trois-Rivieres Caron & Guay (LNAH) | Free agency (UFA) |

### Signings

| Date | Player | Term | Contract type |
| July 28, 2005 (2005-07-28) | Kevin Nastiuk | multi-year | Entry-level |
| August 8, 2005 (2005-08-08) | Matt Cullen | 1-year | Re-signing |
| August 9, 2005 (2005-08-09) | Kevyn Adams | 2-year | Re-signing |
| August 10, 2005 (2005-08-10) | Radim Vrbata | 1-year | Re-signing |
| August 10, 2005 (2005-08-10) | Justin Williams | 1-year | Re-signing |
| August 12, 2005 (2005-08-12) | Jesse Boulerice | 1-year | Re-signing |
| August 12, 2005 (2005-08-12) | Erik Cole | 1-year | Re-signing |
| August 12, 2005 (2005-08-12) | Gordie Dwyer | 1-year | Re-signing |
| August 12, 2005 (2005-08-12) | Colin Forbes | 1-year | Re-signing |
| August 12, 2005 (2005-08-12) | Michael Zigomanis | 1-year | Re-signing |
| August 15, 2005 (2005-08-15) | Pavel Brendl | 1-year | Re-signing |
| August 15, 2005 (2005-08-15) | Bruno St. Jacques | 1-year | Re-signing |
| August 16, 2005 (2005-08-16) | Glen Wesley | 1-year | Re-signing |
| August 18, 2005 (2005-08-18) | Josef Vasicek | 2-year | Re-signing |
| August 24, 2005 (2005-08-24) | Niklas Nordgren | 1-year | Entry-level |
| September 27, 2005 (2005-09-27) | Andrew Ladd | 3-year | Entry-level |
| October 4, 2005 (2005-10-04) | Kevin Estrada | 2-year | Entry-level |
| May 31, 2006 (2006-05-31) | Brett Carson | 3-year | Entry-level |
| May 31, 2006 (2006-05-31) | Daniel Manzato | 2-year | Entry-level |
| May 31, 2006 (2006-05-31) | Justin Peters | 3-year | Entry-level |

## Draft picks

Carolina's draft picks at the 2005 NHL entry draft held at the Westin Hotel in Ottawa, Ontario.
| Round | # | Player | Position | Nationality | College/Junior/Club team |
| 1 | 3 | Jack Johnson | Defense | United States | U.S. National Team Development Program |
| 2 | 58 | Nate Hagemo | Defense | United States | University of Minnesota (WCHA) |
| 3 | 64 | Joe Barnes | Center | Canada | Saskatoon Blades (WHL) |
| 4 | 94 | Jakub Vojta | Defense | Czech Republic | HC Sparta Praha Jr. (Czech) |
| 4 | 123 | Ondrej Otcenas | Center/Winger | Slovakia | Trenčín Jr. (Slovakia) |
| 5 | 145 | Tim Kunes | Center | United States | New England Jr. Falcons (EJHL) |
| 5 | 159 | Risto Korhonen | Winger | Finland | Kärpät Jr. (Finnish Jr.) |
| 6 | 192 | Nicolas Blanchard | Center | Canada | Chicoutimi Saguenéens (QMJHL) |
| 7 | 198 | Kyle Lawson | Defense | United States | U.S. National Team Development Program |