It took one season for Jackson Blake to secure a long-term contract with the Carolina Hurricanes, inking an eight-year deal last summer. He'd put up good numbers during his rookie season, and the team saw more than enough to give him an extension with one season left on his entry-level contract. It was an impressive feat for the only rookie on the team's Opening Night roster.
While his rookie campaign was good, there were even greater expectations placed on him for his sophomore effort, especially with the dreaded "sophomore slump" potentially looming. It turned out that the slump needed to be scared of Blake because no such thing came to pass in his second year. In fact, Blake turned in one of the best efforts by a second-year player in team history.
Blake was all over the scoresheet, especially during the playoffs
His second season got off to a quick start. Blake picked up points in eight of the team's first ten games, but, as there are during any season, there were some ebbs and flows. He'd have a really good game before a stretch of games without a point. By the Olympic break, he'd nearly mimicked his statline from his rookie season, sitting with 16 goals and 33 points.
Like many on the team, Blake got hot again after the pause. It didn't take him long to set new career highs, and his numbers kept growing. He reached 20 goals in a win over Pittsburgh in mid-March. With the help of 20 points in his final 24 games, Blake finished fifth on the team in scoring during the regular season, posting 22 goals and 53 points in 81 games.
In the playoffs, Blake kept scoring. His best efforts of the playoffs came in the second round against the Flyers. Blake finished that series with seven points, leading the team. In Game 4, Blake closed out the series by factoring on all three Carolina goals, scoring the series-clinching goal in overtime to send the Canes to the Eastern Conference Finals.
Blake finished the playoffs with a team-high 20 points, finishing third in the league in scoring. He put forth another big effort in Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final, assisting on the opening goal and scoring the insurance goal in the second. Blake set a franchise record with seven multi-point games in the playoffs, scoring two or more points as many times as he was held off the scoresheet.
As his new deal begins, Blake will receive ample opportunities to thrive
The 2026-27 season marks the beginning of Blake's eight-year extension, which pays him a little over $5.1 million. Given what he did last season, this contract could be one of the best in the entire league. Still, with an increase in pay comes an increase in expectations. By all accounts, Blake should meet those expectations with ease.
No one benefits from Seth Jarvis being out to begin the season, but I think the Canes are going to fiddle with their line combinations quite a bit at the beginning of the year to find another winger who'll work next to Sebastian Aho in his absence. Blake played next to him some during his rookie season with positive results. I could see them trying it again this season, too.
Of course, there's no reason to fix something that isn't broken when it comes to the Canes' second line. His chemistry with Taylor Hall and Logan Stankoven was off the charts during the second half and the playoffs. They worked well at even strength. They worked well on the power play. They should be back together to begin the season. Don't be surprised if Blake goes for 30 goals this year.
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