RALEIGH — The Carolina Hurricanes have locked up another of their young forwards.
The Hurricanes announced Thursday night they signed right wing Jackson Blake to an eight-year, $45 million contract extension starting in 2026-27.
“Jackson had an outstanding rookie season, and we think he is just scratching the surface of the player he can be,” Hurricanes GM Eric Tulsky said in a statement. “His tenaciousness on the puck and competitiveness match our team’s culture and we’re excited about his future with our club.”
Blake won a roster spot during last year’s training camp after being a Hobey Baker finalist as college hockey’s top player the year before at North Dakota. He scored 17 goals with 34 points in 80 games in his rookie season with Carolina, finishing ninth in Calder Trophy voting.
Blake also had some of the best underlying numbers in the NHL last season. Among forwards with at least 200 minutes played at 5-on-5 last season, Blake led the league in Corsi For percentage (61.23), Shots For percentage (61.45) and Scoring Chances For percentage (61.63), according to NaturalStatTrick.com
Carolina also converted those chances when Blake was on the ice. The Hurricanes outscored opponents 38-27 at 5-on-5 with Blake on the ice despite having a PDO — which measures a team’s shooting percentage vs. its save percentage — of .990.
While he had success in the regular season, Blake struggled in the playoffs. After registering a goal and three assists in five games in Carolina’s first round win over the Devils, Blake was held without a 5-on-5 point for the final 10 games of the postseason, scoring one power play goal against both Washington and Florida in those five-game series.
Blake’s new deal will run through the 2033-34 season and averages $5.625 million annually, but Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported that Blake accepted deferred money in the deal, which will drop his cap hit into the range of $5.1 million. Deferred money contracts will not be allowed in the recently agreed-upon collective bargaining agreement that will go into effect in 2026-27, nor will eight-year contracts; players will be able to sign for a maximum of seven years under the new deal.
Either way, the contract should look good for the Hurricanes as the league’s salary cap ceiling continues its upward climb. The salary cap jumped $7.5 million this summer, from $88 million to $95.5 million, and is already locked in to increase even more over the next two seasons. The cap ceiling will be $104 million (an $8.5 million hike) in 2026-27, when Blake’s new contract begins, and go up another $9.5 million, to $113.5 million, in 2027-28. It is expected to grow further from there as the league’s revenues grow.
Blake’s deal will take up just under 5% of Carolina’s cap space in 2026-27, and that number will dip to closer to 4.5% the following year. At last season’s $88 million cap ceiling, the contract would be the equivalent of a $4.4 million and $3.96 million cap hit, respectively.
The Hurricanes struck a similar deal this summer with their other rookie forward from last year’s team, signing Logan Stankoven to an eight-year, $48 million contract on July 1, the first day Stankoven was eligible to sign an extension. His deal will also begin in 2026-27.
Carolina enters the 2025-26 season with most of its roster under contract through at least the 2026-27 season. The only player in a full-time role last season whose contract will expire after next season is goalie Frederik Andersen. Depth players Mark Jankowski and Tyson Jost will also be unrestricted free agents after next season, as will recently signed defenseman Mike Reilly.
The biggest order of business is now defenseman Alexander Nikishin, who made his NHL debut last season in the playoffs. He will be a restricted free agent with arbitration rights following next year and is due a new contract.
