Despite losing to the Nashville Predators on Tuesday night, one player’s development will keep Hurricanes fans optimistic.
Jackson Blake ensured the Hurricanes didn’t suffer a shutout loss when he scored at the 10:28 mark of the second period. Blake’s backhand shot past Predators goaltender Juuse Saros also kept Carolina in the game before Adam Edstrom put Nashville up 3-1 at 5:40 in the third. Ross Colton’s empty-netter at 19:19 sealed Carolina’s fate.
Still, Blake’s goal kept up his point-per-game pace this season. Looking at Blake’s numbers, his development has been substantial since his first full season in 2024-25. That season, Blake was average, putting up 34 points and 17 goals in 80 games.
That was less than a half-point per game, but Blake showed enough scoring potential to be poised to move up a rung in 2025-26. He moved up quite easily. Last season, he ended the year with 53 points and 22 goals in 81 games.
That set the stage for a better 2026-27 season. But few probably saw Blake notching a point per game early on. Especially on a deep team like the Hurricanes that is loaded with stars like Sebastian Aho and Seth Jarvis. Then there are brewing stars like Logan Stankoven.
But Blake is currently second on the team in points and first with 13 assists.
Jackson Blake Adds Yet Another Edge To The Hurricanes
Some of Blake’s production has come because of his steady increase in ice time. In 2024-25, he averaged 13:51 per game. That number increased to regular top-six minutes in 2025-26, at 16:30 per game. This season, Blake’s 18:01 average total ice time is second only to Aho among forwards, who has 19:58.
What makes Blake even more dangerous isn’t just his points total. His 10 takeaways this season put him on an 84-game pace for between 49 and 50. This indicates that Blake’s willingness to chip in defensively is also on the up and up.
Blake’s even-strength numbers are also trending north. His 93.3 on-ice save percentage is 5.3 percent higher than it was last season. The same goes for his 12.2 on-ice shooting percentage, which sat at 10.0 in 2025-26.
What is more striking? His 62.2 Corsi For Percentage is also north of the 60.9 percent he notched a season ago. The catch? Blake finished 2025-26 with an offensive zone starting percentage of 68.4. This year, it is at 57.4.
Jackson Blake Is Turning Into One Of Carolina’s More Dangerous Forwards
Opponents needed to account for Blake since he showed flashes of brilliance in his rookie season. Given his monster uptick in production that hit a new level in 2026-27, they need to account for where he is on the ice every time he enters the game.
Carolina remains one of the NHL’s highest-octane teams this season. That said, opponents will also need to start figuring out how to stop him alongside the upstart Stankoven and the established Jarvis and Aho.
There aren’t many teams in the NHL capable of slowing down such a high quantity of talent game in and game out. Unless they catch Carolina on a bad night, as Nashville did, expect Blake and the Hurricanes to keep rolling. Even on a bad night, Blake proved on Tuesday that he is always a threat to score and keep his team in contention to win.
Hurricanes Forward’s Remarkable Development Continues In Loss To Predators