"Carolina may have staved off the allegations of being unable to attract and sign star players when they signed Nikolaj Ehlers to an 8-year deal. However, Jackson Blake's signing may have been a step back and could serve as a reminder that even dominant teams like the Carolina Hurricanes are still cursed due to their low marketability. As a result, they resort to entrapping their promising young players with expensive contracts to prevent them from seeking employment in higher and more prosperous markets."
"In the last installment of the series, Frank Nazar's exuberant contract was examined to demonstrate how developing teams, in small and big markets, will pay their players expensive contracts to entice them to stay on a team that is struggling to navigate the treacherous waters of rebuilding. But Carolina's Jackson Blake answers the bell in which his recent contract will be analyzed and judged on how it will affect the contending Hurricanes for the future."
The Carolina Hurricanes made notable offseason moves including signing Nikolaj Ehlers to an eight-year deal while also extending Jackson Blake. The Blake contract raises concerns about marketability-driven decisions and the franchise's tendency to retain young talent with costly deals. Blake recorded 2 goals and 4 assists for 6 points in 8 games, prompting questions about his readiness to justify the contract. The team remains a consistent regular-season performer but has struggled to advance past the third round, exposing needs for a second-line center after the Jesperi Kotkaniemi experiment and for more stable goaltending.
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