With 34 points (17 goals, 17 assists) in 8o regular-season games in 2024-25, Jackson Blake led all the rookies in the NHL in game-winning goals (6). Obviously, the folks over at the Carolina Hurricanes camp were mesmerized by the 21-year-old North Dakota native’s prowess. So much so that the Canes got all hands on deck just to keep themselves safe from the imminent NHL rule change enforcement.

The Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) has proposed a number of changes to the NHL rules that are set to kick in from the 2026-27 season. Among other things, deferred payment, through which teams have the option to pay their players a portion of their contract money later, is set to be made illegal. On the other hand, despite how good Blake proved to be in his first pro season, the Hurricanes didn’t want to lose out on their own benefits to fulfill their wishes of keeping the winger around for longer.

Walt Ruff went on X on Jul 24 to share the new contract agreement that has been struck between Jackson and the Carolina Hurricanes. “Jackson Blake’s locked in for the long haul!” reads the sonorous caption of the post, assuring fans of the NHL franchise that the enigmatic rookie will stick around for another stint before delving into the contract details.

“The 21-year-old forward and the #Canes have agreed to an eight-year, $45M extension, which will begin with the 2026-27 season,” Ruff notes in his X post. While this might not seem anything out of the ordinary, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman elaborates on why the deal is important for the Hurricanes camp. “The listed AAV per the team release is $5.625M,” the veteran NHL analyst underscored in his X post from Thursday. But here’s the catch: By signing the new contract this year, the Hurricanes will still be able to defer part of Blake’s salary.

“The actual number is $5.1M-ish due to deferred money (which will be outlawed in the new CBA). So Blake and the Hurricanes got it done beforehand,” Friedman elaborated on the matter. Interestingly enough, the contract also allowed the Hurricanes to bypass more CBA rules, which are set to come into effect from next year.

In the new set of rules, a contract cannot exceed six years for new players who will be signed from free agency, while existing players can be re-signed for only seven years. Blake still has one year left on his current contract, and the newly signed contract will come into effect from the 2026-27 season. However, with the ink already being put to paper, the deal will not need to cater to the CBA’s changes.

However, it’s not only the Canes who have been scurrying to retain their star players with the new NHL/NHLPA rules set to be be introduced.

Other teams have also been active like the Carolina Hurricanes

The new CBA changes have been drawing a lot of attention in recent weeks. Along with the changes to the contracts, salary cap, etc., the proposed relaxation to the dress code has been something that the fans weren’t exactly keen about. However, the teams were more concerned about how they could guard themselves from the regulatory changes. Among them, the Florida Panthers had a lot to keep themselves occupied.

Becoming back-to-back Stanley Cup winners, the South Florida team was justifiably on Cloud 9. However, as the celebratory dust settled, the Cats now had quite the issue to address: what to do about some of the roster’s biggest stars who were set to become unrestricted free agents by July 1 2024. Thankfully, GM Bill Zito went into overdrive mode and managed to whip new contracts for most of the core players who helped the team win its second straight Cup, including Brad Marchand, history-making Sam Bennett, and team captain Aaron Ekblad.

On the other hand, the Edmon Oilers still seem to be left hanging as Connor McDavid‘s future with the Western Conference powerhouse continues to be highly speculated by the fans. Do you think the Oilers nation should take a page from the Hurricanes and the Panthers books to lock in one of the NHL’s biggest stars as they hope to redeem their back-to-back Stanley Cup Finals heartbreak? Tell us your take on the matter in a comment!