Kammala jumla mai zuwa: Hurricanes sun kasance a shirye don karɓar inda suka tsaya a cikin 2002 <unk> 03, amma ba su taɓa farfadowa daga asarar 10 a watan Janairu ba kuma sun gama ƙarshe a gasar tare da maki 61. Bayan irin wannan jinkirin farawa zuwa kakar 2003-04, Paul Maurice, wanda ya kasance kocin kungiyar tun daga tsakiyar tsakiyar kakar wasan da ta gabata a Hartford, an kore shi kuma an maye gurbinsa da tsohon kocin benci na New York Islanders Peter Laviolette. A karkashin Laviolette, Weekes ya kasance mai tsauri, amma laifin ya kasance abin zargi; cibiyar Josef Vasicek ta jagoranci tawagar da kwallaye 19 kawai da tallafi 26 don maki 45. Yawancin sabbin magoya bayan da aka jawo wa ƙungiyar (da kuma hockey kanta) a lokacin wasan 2002 sun rasa sha'awa kuma halartar ya ragu. Daya daga cikin 'yan sakamako masu kyau na wadannan shekaru masu hasara shine ƙungiyar ta tsara Eric Staal a
A shekara ta 2003.