Williams says Canes are a Cup contender and he's hungry for another
38-year-old Justin Williams is going into the NHL's Return to Play format with a ton of confidence in his team. The Carolina Hurricanes will be facing the New York Rangers in the qualifying round, a team that beat the Canes in all four games the two clubs played this season. Williams isn't bothered by that at all.
"Washington had our numbers last year, also. Playoff hockey is very different," he said, per Michael Smith of Hurricanes.com. "We're a Stanley Cup contender and we know that."
Williams played just 20 games in 2019-20 after sitting out the first part of the season while contemplating whether he wanted to return. Shortly after he did, the league suspended play due to the COVID-19 pandemic. While he already has three Stanley Cup rings, he's hungry for another.
"I didn't come back to play 20 games," he said on a video call, according to The Athletic's Sara Civian. "I came back for a chance to win a Stanley Cup."
Williams not only has three championships, he's also a former Conn Smythe winner and is known as "Mr. Game Seven" for his playoff heroics with the L.A. Kings. Despite playing just 20 games this season, the veteran still managed eight goals and three assists.
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YESTERDAY
MAY 11, 2026
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| G | A | PTS | ||
| Martin Necas | - | 2 | 2 | |
| Ross Colton | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Nazem Kadri | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Parker Kelly | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Nathan MacKinnon | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Brock Nelson | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Nico Sturm | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Danila Yurov | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Jack Drury | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Brock Faber | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Quinn Hughes | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Nicolas Roy | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Vladimir Tarasenko | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Jack Ahcan | - | - | - | |
| Mackenzie Blackwood | - | - | - | |
| Zach Bogosian | - | - | - | |
| Matthew Boldy | - | - | - | |
| Brent Burns | - | - | - | |
| Marcus Foligno | - | - | - | |
| Nick Foligno | - | - | - | |
| COMPLETE STATS | ||||