Williams hungry for another Cup: 'I didn't come back to play 20 games'

Justin Williams is determined to add a fourth Stanley Cup ring.

The 38-year-old sat out the majority of the 2019-20 season as he pondered his future, but he returned to the Carolina Hurricanes for 20 games before the campaign was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

"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."

The Hurricanes finished the season as the sixth seed in the Eastern Conference, setting up a qualifying-round matchup against the 11th-seeded New York Rangers. The Canes lost all four games against the Rangers in the regular season by a combined score of 17-9, but Williams isn't concerned.

"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."

The Hurricanes went on a Cinderella run to the conference finals last year, beating the defending champion Capitals in seven games and sweeping the New York Islanders before being swept by the Boston Bruins.

Williams, a former Conn Smythe Trophy winner known as "Mr. Game 7" for his playoff heroics with the Los Angeles Kings, remained productive with eight goals and three assists in 20 games this season.