The NHL’s greatest villain has been defeated.

The Carolina Hurricanes on Sunday completed a dominant postseason, defeating the Vegas Golden Knights and winning the Stanley Cup. The victory capped off a 16-3 run for the Hurricanes since the postseason began less than two months ago.

Carolina did what the Avalanche couldn’t by taking down the Golden Knights. It’s not just about one series, though. Here are a few things the Avalanche can take from Carolina’s incredible run to a second Stanley Cup championship:

Size in bottom six doesn’t hurt

The Hurricanes are not the biggest team in hockey. Their leading goal scorer was a 5-foot-8 winger they acquired for Mikko Rantanen a year ago, and their points leader was a 5-foot-11 center they drafted in the fourth round a few years back. The idea that you have to be a team full of giants is wrong. They aren’t small everywhere in their forward corps, though.

Carolina’s fourth line weighed a combined 634 pounds with none of them below 6-foot-2. Vegas’ fourth line is built in a similar way. They’re lines built to wear down opposing teams in a different way than Colorado’s very effective fourth line does. Guys like Parker Kelly and Logan O’Connor aren’t going anywhere, but you could make the argument the Avalanche could use another big, heavy forechecker in their bottom six. They need someone who will make opposing defensemen think twice when they go back to retrieve a puck.

You can win with smaller defensemen — to a degree

The recent trend in the NHL has been to move away from sub-6-foot defensemen. Most pundits say you might win with one, but no more than that. Well, the Hurricanes proved otherwise. Carolina won with two playing every single game in the postseason, as both Shayne Gostisbehere and former Avalanche defenseman Sean Walker are listed at 5-foot-11. That’s good news for the Avalanche, but it’s not the only worthwhile stat. What’s important to note is the Hurricanes insulated those two with four other defensemen who are all big and weigh well over 200 pounds.

Sam Malinski, listed at 5-foot-11, isn’t going anywhere. Cale Makar, listed right at 6-foot, isn’t going anywhere. How Joe Sakic builds the rest of the defense this summer with sturdier players like Brent Burns and Brett Kulak heading toward unrestricted free agency is awfully important. It remains to be seen whether those two will return, but if they don’t, replacing them with players that play a similar style is a necessity.

The Hurricanes proved you can win with some smaller defensemen, but they had the right idea by surrounding those guys with some size. It’s a blueprint the Avalanche would be wise to follow.

Sticking with the coach

People for years said Rod Brind’Amour’s style of play is great for the regular season but doesn’t work in the playoffs. They’d get to a certain point in the postseason before they’d hit a wall. Instead of changing things up, the Hurricanes stuck with their longtime coach and have now been rewarded for it. Firing a very good coach when critics say you should isn’t always the right move.

Although Jared Bednar has a ring on his finger already, there are many who believe his style won’t get the job done again in Colorado. As the Hurricanes did with Brind’Amour, the Avalanche are betting otherwise. There’s no guarantee the Avalanche will reach the top of the mountain again. But the Hurricanes showed sticking with the guy you know and trust isn’t always the worst plan.

You need two goalies, but…

… did the Hurricanes use a true goalie rotation? Probably not. It was in the regular season, but when the playoffs came around, they chose a starter.

Up until he was injured, Frederik Andersen was their guy, starting all 16 of their games to that point. Much like the Avalanche in 2022, Carolina wouldn’t have taken out their starter if he hadn’t been injured. Having a backup goaltender that you trust to come in and play is crucial, which is what the Hurricanes had in Brandon Bussi.

The Avalanche are in good shape in net heading into next season. They like both their goaltenders, as they should. When the playoffs come around, it would be wise to roll with one. In a perfect world, they’d like that to be Mackenzie Blackwood. That’s why they traded for him and gave him a nice extension. He must earn that role next season and should enter the season with a bit of a chip on his shoulder.

A little luck goes a long way

The Avalanche will make changes this offseason because the salary cap will require them to do so, but you need some injury luck to survive in the playoffs. Colorado didn’t have that, while the Hurricanes did. It’s one reason the Avalanche won’t “blow it up.”

Carolina was able to dress 16 of its skaters for all 19 of its postseason games. The only two skaters that missed games in the playoffs due to injury were Alexander Nikishin and Nikolaj Ehlers, and their absences were short-lived. Ehlers only missed one game; Nikishin missed just two. The playoffs are a battle of attrition, and the Hurricanes were able to make it all the way through pretty healthy. Sometimes, that’s the most important factor.

Colorado’s injuries aren’t an excuse for getting swept in the Western Conference finals, even if they played a role in the series going that way. Injuries or no injuries, they were outplayed. Injuries are just a reality in the Stanley Cup playoffs, though. Whichever team is the healthiest is likely in the best position to win it all. Carolina’s injury luck this postseason was about as good as you’ll ever see.