The Carolina Hurricanes have become known for thinking outside of the box, doing things their own way and even playing a brand of hockey that is unique to their team. So when they announced the eight-year extension of Jackson Blake, a rookie last year with 34 points in 80 games, there were eyebrows raised throughout the hockey world. When everyone took a step back and broke things down, the deal was viewed as a long-term value play despite the $5.117 AAV.
There are a number of elements that make this deal interesting. The most obvious being that Blake has played just one season of pro hockey, this past year in the NHL. The 21-year-old didn’t make a stop in the AHL after a successful NCAA career, simply jumping into one of the most competitive NHL lineups in the league. His immediate impact was just one reason that GM Eric Tulsky and the Canes felt comfortable committing to Blake long term.
“In the last few years, he’s gone from high school to the USHL to college to the NHL,” explained Tulsky in speaking to The Hockey News. “Those are enormous steps, and he’s made it look easy each time — even earning a spot on our top line by midway through his rookie season, and having stretches where he was a primary driver of that line’s success.”
That progression and ability to integrate himself into one of the most demanding systems in the NHL is impressive. Blake went through some stretches where he was arguably the Canes' most dangerous playmaker, finding teammates all over the offensive zone. Unfortunately, some chances weren’t capitalized on for a variety of reasons.
One other thing that head coach Rod Brind’Amour demands from his players is effort all over the ice. Whether it’s on the forecheck, backcheck or in the defensive end, Brind’Amour will hold every player on the roster accountable.
Blake has always had the work ethic and drive to be a player that impacts the game in small ways so that when he’s not getting the puck luck or he’s on a cold streak offensively, he is still making his team better. He isn’t the fleetest of foot, and he isn’t the biggest player, but he has always made up for that with his motor.
What has made Blake’s development successful to this point has been his drive away from the ice and his work to identify areas of the game he can improve. One aspect that he has added over the last couple of years, going back to his final season in college, is his puck pursuit and thievery. Blake has become very good at lifting pucks off of opposing players' sticks, particularly in the neutral zone. This allows him to turn play around quickly and get on the counterattack.
Although he had just 34 points in his rookie season, there was so much growth in his game. From playing at the bottom of the lineup to driving results on the top line, the counting stats don’t tell the full story. Carolina’s management team has faith that the player they saw at the end of the season will continue to grow and develop and become a top-six producer who puts up numbers closer to what the eye test indicated.
All of that explains the ‘Why” behind the signing, which was an interesting facet of the deal itself, but the question of how the Canes come to the conclusion that an eight-year deal at this time was the right decision.
It comes down to risk management in a lot of ways. How much faith that the Canes have in Blake’s trajectory and what that is worth today and in a rising cap environment. One factor in the Canes getting this deal done now is that they have left themselves the kind of cap flexibility that is needed to pull off a deal like this. First and foremost, Blake has one year left on his ELC, so the new contract doesn’t kick in until the 2026-27 season.
When taking a look at the Hurricanes' roster, they have all of their key players signed long term. Sebastian Aho, Nikolaj Ehlers, Seth Jarvis, Logan Stankoven, K’Andre Miller, Jaccob Slavin, and now Blake are all signed through 2031 or beyond. The combined cap hit for those players is $44.68 million. That will likely be under 40 percent of the salary cap at the time for the best players on the Canes roster. Surrounding that talent will be easier for Carolina than it will for teams we’ve seen in the past, like Toronto or Edmonton.
One thing that has helped them keep salary cap hits down is the willingness to take advantage of deferred money on some of their contracts. They were one of the first teams to take advantage of that mechanism in the current CBA when they re-signed Slavin to the contract extension that is set to kick in this season. The Canes used it once again when they re-signed Jarvis to his deal. Other teams like Toronto (John Tavares, Chris Tanev) and Anaheim (Frank Vatrano) have employed the deferred money tactic in recent signings, but the Canes set the table for using the strategy to help lower cap hits, even just by a small amount.
Despite the AAV on his contract being $5.625 million, the deferred money on this deal moves Blake’s cap hit to $5.117 million, a savings of over half a million dollars. As fans of teams like Toronto, Vegas and Edmonton know, having even a little bit extra could be the difference between having the flexibility to add at the deadline or having to pay to get rid of a bad contract just to add around the margins.
The NHL’s new CBA, set to go into effect for the 2026-27 season, will outlaw the money deferral tactic, and it will also shorten contract lengths. For players re-signing with their own team prior to becoming a UFA, they can sign a seven-year deal, which is down from eight in the current CBA. When a player signs as a UFA, the max contract length was shortened from seven to six years.
The Hurricanes took advantage of both the extra length and deferred money in the Blake deal. The risk is real with signing a long-term contract. If Blake isn’t able to take the step everyone in the organization thinks he can, he could be an expensive third liner for the next few years, and his contract may not be of value until the final few years of the deal. With the fast-rising cap over the next few years, the Canes are betting that Blake’s progress continues.
“Every time we sign a long-term deal, it is a gamble for the team. You never know what the future will hold,” said Tulsky.
“There is real upside for us when things pan out, and our organizational philosophy involves being willing to take those risks when we think the upside makes it worth it. We have to be aware of the downside and manage that risk, but we think we will come out ahead in the long run if we stay aggressive.”
That kind of thinking is how the Hurricanes made the best of a bad situation when they traded for Mikko Rantanen, flipping him for another package that netted them Stankoven among other things. The Canes want to be aggressive, which is a trait that many NHL teams seem to shy away from in a league where conservatism is how GMs and head coaches keep their jobs. If you don’t take too many risks, you can be good enough to be good, but it’s tough to be great.
That is how the Canes are operating. Good isn’t enough. They’ve been good for too long. They want to be great. The Carolina Hurricanes want to be a Stanley Cup champion once again.
Other teams should take notice and look to weaponize the current mechanisms that allow for a bit of extra flexibility. Not every young player should be signed to a long-term, money-deferred deal, but when you make a calculated bet, it could pay massive dividends in the long run. It won’t be easy to replicate as teams are often stuck in their ways of thinking, but seeing a young, hungry GM make a move like this to gain an advantage should pique the interest of other GMs around the league.
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