RALEIGH, N.C. — There's been plenty of disappointment for the Carolina Hurricanes after falling short in another Eastern Conference final . General manager Eric Tulsky and coach Rod Brind'Amour view that as a positive.

The franchise that went nine straight years without a playoff berth has nearly matched that with seven straight seasons of winning at least one postseason series, with this year's loss to the reigning Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers marking a third trip to the Eastern final in that span. Now Tulsky faces a familiar challenge after taking over as GM last summer : improving the roster so it can punch through its roadblock amid higher expectations.

“We set the bar very, very high,” Tulsky said Tuesday during an end-of-year news conference with Brind'Amour. “Eve

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