3 reasons why the Hurricanes' $40.92M, 8-year bet on Jackson Blake might not pay off

The Carolina Hurricanes signed Jackson Blake to a massive eight-year $40.92 million extension on Friday, PuckPedia reported. The deal ends speculation regarding the 21-year-old’s future in Carolina, as the team has locked up a promising young player.

Despite the positive angle to this signing, there’s room to believe that the Hurricanes may regret signing Jackson Blake to an AAV of $5.11 million over eight seasons at this point in his career.

So, here’s a look at three reasons why the Carolina Hurricanes’ bet on Jackson Blake may not pay off.

3 reasons why the Hurricanes' bet on Jackson Blake might not pay off

#3 Blake’s body of work is too limited

The Carolina Hurricanes are paying big bucks and committing long-term to Jackson Blake based on a one-year sample. That situation is like marrying someone after just one date. While Blake had a solid first full season, his 17 goals and 34 points might be an outlier in his career.

Of course, there’s always the chance that Blake’s production will only go up from here. It could be that in three or four years, this deal will look like the steal of the century.

But then again, the risk is there that Blake doesn’t quite turn into a bona fide star and fizzles out. Such a scenario would leave the Hurricanes stuck with a massive contract and potentially nowhere to move Blake.

#2 Blake is unproven in postseason

This second point is a corollary to the first one. Jackson Blake has a minuscule playoff sample, playing in 13 games this past season.

It’s worth pointing out that Blake did very well. He notched three goals and three assists in those games. That’s not bad for a young player heading into a prolonged playoff run.

But then again, there’s no telling if Blake can replicate or improve upon this postseason’s numbers. If he does, he’ll earn his money’s worth in this contract. But if he struggles, questions will surround the Hurricanes for signing him to such a long extension so soon.

#1 The Hurricanes rushed into signing Blake

The Hurricanes rushed into signing Jackson Blake, likely due to the new CBA coming into effect after this upcoming season.

The new CBA will limit the number of years teams can sign players. Under the new CBA’s rules, the Hurricanes would be able to sign Blake to a seven-year deal instead of an eight-year one. That situation likely prompted the Canes to act now instead of waiting.

While that assessment seems reasonable, the fact that the Hurricanes rushed into signing Blake now could be a major issue moving forward. If Blake cannot live up to expectations now that he has a new contract in tow, calls may begin to go out for Carolina to trade him.

The pressure on Blake to perform could be too much, leading the 21-year-old to potentially struggle this upcoming season.