Latest news with #RodBrindAmour
Yahoo
04-08-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Life Has Changed For Jackson Blake In A Big Way
Hard work pays off in the case of Jackson Blake. The Carolina Hurricanes rewarded Blake with an eight-year, $45 million contract after an impressive rookie season in the NHL. Last season, Blake was fighting to make the Hurricanes' opening-night roster, and now, he's in a much better and more secure position with the organization. 'A year ago today, I probably would have told you you're crazy,' Blake said via Kurt Dusterberg of "It's been an absolute whirlwind. I'm not going to lie. I didn't know if I was going to make the team last year, and then to play on the team the full year and now have this long-term deal with Carolina, it's pretty surreal.' The 22-year-old forward recorded 17 goals, 17 assists, and 34 points in 80 games while averaging 13:51 minutes. It was playing in a truly unique Hurricanes system, and specifically under head coach Rod Brind'Amour that allowed Blake to truly flourish. Brent Burns Reveals Why He Didn't Retire Former Carolina Hurricanes defenseman Brent Burns will embark on a new opportunity at 40 years old. 'Obviously, Rod did a good job with me,' Blake said. 'He knew maybe playing less minutes in the first half – seeing the game and developing me that way. When he thought I was comfortable and ready to take that next step, he gave me that opportunity and I took advantage of it. Playing with Sebastian and some of those guys was huge for my confidence to grow into the player I believe I can be.' With a new contract in hand, expectations are certainly higher for Blake, who also has high expectations for himself going into his second season in Carolina. 'I would have expected more from myself regardless of the contract or not for this year,' said Bake. 'I thought last year was pretty good, but I always strive for better in every single area.'
Yahoo
26-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
What To Expect From Jackson Blake In Year 2?
Fresh off of becoming a $45 million man, it's clear that Jackson Blake isn't a rookie anymore. No, Blake, just a couple days away from his 22nd birthday, is looking more and more like he's going to be a relied upon piece of the Carolina Hurricanes for years to come. So what can we expect from the kid after a 17 goal, 34 point inaugural season? In year one, Blake really did have one of the most unpredictable runs we've seen in a while. Fresh off of a standout sophomore season at the University of North Dakota that saw him as a Hobey Baker finalist, Blake had a memorable training camp and preseason that just left the staff too impressed to leave him off the roster. "It was just his play," Hurricanes coach Rod Brind'Amour had said at the time. "It was obvious that he belonged. He made mistakes like everyone else, but I just felt like with what he showed, we wanted to see more. That's why the decision is what it is." Every game he played, Blake just got better. He's not the most explosive skater, nor does his talent really jump off the page, but he's just such a smart player and one who works so hard too. He's the kind of player who more often than not, finds himself in the right spots and doing all the right things that really tilts the ice in his team's favor. And I will say, his poise with the puck on his stick and then the ability to win pucks back where well above the expected levels for a rookie. He also demonstrated an ability to play with high-end talent on both the Canes' top line (Sebastian Aho, Seth Jarvis, Andrei Svechnikov) and on the team's top power play. Brind'Amour always commented on how consistently Blake was amongst the best players on the ice and for a team that's been as consistently good as Carolina has been, that says a lot. Blake led all Hurricanes forwards in Corsi For (61.23%), expected goals for (60.52%) and actual goals for (58.46%) in the regular season. Even if he wasn't always on the scoresheet, he was always around it. Blake isn't the biggest guy, but he was never afraid to go into the corners or battle in front of the net. He was always willing to give that extra effort and that's what the Canes like about him. So what more can Blake bring in year two? The 21 year old was almost always a driver on his line, but he had a penchant to pass off a bit too much. Blake was at times a bit too timid of a shooter, with just 6.44 shots on goal and 12.16 individual chances per 60, both in the bottom half amongst Canes forwards. However, when he did shoot, it was primarily between the circles and closer to the net, so he knows and goes to the spots on the ice where he needs to to score. If he just starts to trust a little more in himself, I think it will go a long way. That and another year growing into his body will be huge for Blake. The 5-foot-11 winger is in the lower portion of the league in terms of size, but he plays bigger than he is and adding more muscle to his frame will just allow him to do just that much more on the ice. The Hurricanes obviously see Blake as a huge part of the team moving forward and if he can continue to build on his promising start, their bet is going to pay off immensely. Recent Stories • 'I'm Very Excited About The Team In Carolina': Nikolaj Ehlers On Signing In Carolina• Hurricanes Target Positional Depth In Opening Days of Free Agency• Where Have Last Year's Carolina Hurricanes Ended Up?• Carolina Takes Big Swing On Talented New York Blueliner• Who Will Quarterback PP2 For Carolina Next Season?• 'The Last Two Years, It Wasn't Easy For Me Mentally': Dmitry Orlov Voices Potential Displeasures With Carolina After Signing In San Jose• Carolina Hurricanes Release 2025-26 Schedule Stay updated with the most interesting Carolina Hurricanes stories, analysis, breaking news and more! Tap the star to add us to your favorites on Google News to never miss a story.
Yahoo
05-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Nikolaj Ehlers Breaks Silence After Massive Hurricanes Signing
Nikolaj Ehlers Breaks Silence After Massive Hurricanes Signing originally appeared on Athlon Sports. In one of the biggest signings of the NHL offseason, veteran star Nikolaj Ehlers agreed to land with the Carolina Hurricanes. As part of the Hurricanes approach to get over the hump in the Eastern Conference. Ehlers gives them another strong offensive weapon to use. Advertisement Many people linked Ehlers to either the Hurricanes or the Washington Capitals, but in the end, Carolina won out. Carolina gives Ehlers a chance to win right away, and he should be very productive in their system. Following the signing, Ehlers released a statement about his excitement in joining the team. Hurricanes fans should be excited about his comments. "I'm ... very excited about the team in Carolina," Ehlers said Saturday. "They've been a tough team to play against in the past and I like all the young players that are there, and the interest that Carolina has shown was something that obviously helped a lot in the decision-making and made me very excited. "I can create a lot of room for the other guys," he said, "and I believe that I will fit in very nicely, and that's obviously something you look at as well at when you try to make a decision. I talked to (Carolina coach) Rod (Brind'Amour) and we had kind of the same vision about how things are going to go ... the talks that I had with the people in the Canes organization is something that really excited me," Ehlers said. Advertisement Winnipeg Jets left wing Nikolaj Ehlers (27) skates with the puck during the third period against the Los Angeles Kings at Mio-Imagn Images Ehlers was great for the Winnipeg Jets last season, putting up 24 goals, 39 assists in 69 regular-season games. His production continued in the postseason as well, registering five goals and two assists in eight playoff games. If Ehlers can continue his strong impact, Carolina will have gotten a steal here. His fit with the team should be easy due to his play style, and the Hurricanes will once again be one of the favorites in the East next season. Related: Rangers Predicted to Land Connor McDavid in Blockbuster Move Related: Blues Predicted to Land East Star in Bold Offseason Move This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 5, 2025, where it first appeared.
New York Times
04-07-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Hurricanes lineup projection after big K'Andre Miller, Nikolaj Ehlers signings
RALEIGH, N.C. — With two moves, the Carolina Hurricanes became the NHL's biggest spender since July 1. On the opening day of free agency, Carolina swung a sign-and-trade for Rangers defenseman K'Andre Miller, sending first- and second-round picks and defensive prospect Scott Morrow to New York while inking Miller to an eight-year, $60 million contract. Advertisement Two days later, the biggest fish on the free agent market, Nikolaj Ehlers, picked the Hurricanes, agreeing to a six-year, $51 million contract to give coach Rod Brind'Amour a talented forward to play alongside Sebastian Aho. Carolina has much of its core locked in, but the two big additions — and a few subtractions — mean the Hurricanes will have a new look next season. Here's a guess at how they could line up on opening night. Nikolaj Ehlers – Sebastian Aho – Andrei Svechnikov Ehlers and Aho are a natural fit together. A creative, talented winger such as Ehlers could turn Aho into a 40-goal scorer, and Ehlers is good for 20 to 25 goals and 60 points on his own. Svechnikov can bring size and physicality to the line. If he can replicate his play from the first two rounds of the playoffs, Carolina will have a hard-to-handle top line. Taylor Hall – Seth Jarvis – Jackson Blake The first thing that probably came to mind when looking at the first line was: Where is Seth Jarvis? Well, he's here … at center. Jack Roslovic is gone after one year in Raleigh, and with the free agent market devoid of centers and no one willing to make trades, Carolina will have to look inward to solve its never-ending 2C problem. Enter Jarvis, whose 200-foot play earned him a spot on Team Canada at the 4 Nations Face-Off. Hall would bring size and experience to the line, while Blake should take a step forward in his second season despite having a difficult postseason. Jordan Martinook – Jordan Staal – Logan Stankoven Staal and Martinook are a suffocating tandem, taking on top forwards every night and almost always winning the battle. Stankoven spent some time on their right wing last year, and the results were encouraging. His feisty determination meshes well with the veterans' tenacity at both ends of the rink, and he brings a quick-trigger scoring punch to a line that struggles to score consistently. Advertisement William Carrier – Jesperi Kotkaniemi – Eric Robinson If Jarvis does move to the No. 2 hole at center (don't rule out Stankoven getting a look there as well), Kotkaniemi is relegated to the fourth line. His 12 goals and 33 points were underwhelming, but he was third on the team in five-on-five points. Carrier doesn't provide much offense but plays a heavy game, while Robinson uses his speed to be an effective depth contributor. Extras Mark Jankowski proved to be a good fit with the Hurricanes last season and is a good utility player — he can play down the middle or on the wing, and he can also be an effective penalty killer. Tyson Jost re-signed and will be available for call-up should injuries strike. Bradly Nadeau had a fantastic first pro season, scoring 32 goals in 64 games as a 19-year-old with the AHL's Chicago Wolves. The wings are already pretty full, but if Carolina suffers a top-six injury up front or struggles to score, the team may look to Nadeau to provide some instant offense. K'Andre Miller – Jaccob Slavin This is the tough one to predict. The Hurricanes have had a balance of three left-handed and three right-handed defensemen for much of Brind'Amour's tenure as coach. But with one of each — Brent Burns and Dmitry Orlov — allowed to leave via free agency, and two young lefties in Miller and Alexander Nikishin coming in, someone will have to play their off side. Slavin's a good bet, especially if it means putting Miller in the best place to succeed. All of Slavin's previous partners thrived playing with him, and it's unlikely he would be fazed by having to play on the right. Alexander Nikishin – Jalen Chatfield Chatfield exchanges one Russian partner for another. He moved into the top four last year alongside Orlov and didn't skip a beat, using his speed to erase chances while scoring the occasional goal. He also became a reliable cog in the league's best penalty kill. Pairing him with Nikishin would make sense: It would give the rookie a stable partner who focuses primarily on defense, allowing him to learn on the fly and take chances offensively. Nikishin is a thunderous hitter and should make wingers think twice before skating by with their heads down. Advertisement Shayne Gostisbehere — Sean Walker Don't rule out Walker for a spot alongside Slavin. The two veterans played together some in shutdown situations in the playoffs, and Walker would probably benefit from the freedom to take more offensive chances that playing with Slavin provides. But we're keeping Carolina's highly effective third pairing together for this exercise. Walker is a good foil to the offensive-minded Gostisbehere, and the tandem won its battles most nights last season by feasting on lesser competition. Extra Mike Reilly is a sneaky depth addition for the Hurricanes. His underlying numbers and skillset match what Carolina looks for on defense. Frederik Andersen re-signed for one year and will return for a sixth season in Raleigh. When he's healthy, he's good — the trouble is, he's often not. Pyotr Kochetkov, who will split duties with him, has also faced some injury woes, but his biggest issue is consistency. When Kochetkov is on a roll, he looks like one of the league's best goalies, but his ups and downs are still too frequent to count on him as a No. 1. The addition of Cayden Primeau gives the Hurricanes a nice insurance policy, and Amir Miftakhov is a good gamble after a standout year in the KHL. The power play should look about the same, though Ehlers will certainly step onto the top unit. Gostisbehere will start as the PPQB, but keep an eye on Nikishin, who owns a booming shot. Aho, Jarvis and Ehlers are locks, while Svechnikov, Blake and Stankoven will jockey for the final spot. Two of those final three will make their way to the second unit, and they should be joined by Hall and Kotkaniemi. Walker is the safe bet on the point, but Carolina will also want to utilize Nikishin. Even if the young Russian doesn't start the year on the PP, chances are he'll be there by season's end — maybe even on the top unit. Staal, Martinook, Aho and Jarvis are Carolina's PK horses up front, but several other forwards can pitch in. Carrier and Robinson were frequent contributors last season, and Jankowski, if he's in the lineup, is valuable with his wingspan and smarts. Who will kill among the defense is a bigger question mark. Burns and Orlov, both regulars, are gone. Miller led the Rangers in PK time and will take one of the slots, while Walker saw time last year and could see more in the coming season. Nikishin did kill penalties in the KHL, but the Hurricanes will want to be careful about how much they put on the rookie's plate. (Photo of K'Andre Miller: Sarah Stier / Getty Images)
New York Times
01-07-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
NHL trade/contract grades: Hurricanes make huge bet on K'Andre Miller's future
By Shayna Goldman, James Mirtle and Corey Pronman Carolina Hurricanes get: K'Andre Miller (who agreed to an eight-year, $60 million sign-and-trade) New York Rangers get: Conditional 2026 first-round pick (top-10 protected), 2026 second-round pick, D Scott Morrow James Mirtle: This is going to be a fascinating deal to watch over the next few years. Miller, 25, is the best asset in the deal, but he had fallen out of favor in New York, partially due to how heavy of a load he was tasked with, including difficult assignments and playing 22 minutes per game on an overmatched roster. The Hurricanes are making a huge investment in him, too, as at $7.5 million a season for another eight years, he'll need to be at least a No. 2 or very high-end No. 3 defender. Advertisement Morrow, meanwhile, is three years younger and even rawer, with his defensive flaws likely not being a great fit for Rod Brind'Amour's buttoned-up defensive system. He has terrific offensive gifts, however, and piled up points in his first pro season in the AHL. If he blossoms into a top puck-moving defender, then New York could win this deal. But a lot of the value proposition here hinges on which young defenseman can reach their full potential in the next few years. Miller's ceiling is clearly higher, because with his physical gifts and athleticism, he can establish himself as a top-pair defenseman for the life of his contract if he can continue to refine his decision-making and defensive play. Maybe he picks that up in Carolina, learning from someone such as Jaccob Slavin, and in a less onerous role than he had to shoulder with the Rangers? For New York, the bet is less that Morrow is greater than Miller than the idea they can better replace Miller's minutes with UFA signing Vladislav Gavrikov, get better defensively in those hard minutes, and still cash in with three futures assets for a player they really didn't want to pay. In that light, the trade makes sense for both teams. But the Hurricanes get bonus points for betting on upside here. Hurricanes grade (including trade and contract): B Rangers grade: B- Shayna Goldman: Miller has the skills to be a top-four defenseman, but he didn't have enough consistency in New York. There have been glimpses of that potential on both ends of the ice. Defensively, his skating speed and stride help him catch up to opponents to break up plays, and his long reach can be disruptive. He can make the first pass out of his own zone to help activate offensively, too. But in between all of that can be glaring defensive errors and poor decision-making. Advertisement So it makes sense why the Rangers, a team that seriously disappointed this season, would want to shake up their roster. Miller added to the chaos on the back end, even after the Jacob Trouba trade. It doesn't fall solely on his shoulders, though, because the coaches didn't do enough to maximize his strengths (and limit his weaknesses) to reach that next level, either. The Rangers deserve some blame here for giving up on a 25-year-old who has the tools to be special. The team doesn't do enough to develop its young guns into difference-makers. But signing him to a long-term extension wasn't necessarily the answer, either. It makes sense why New York instead signed Gavrikov to take over those matchup minutes — a player who has proven to be a top-four shutdown defenseman — and instead take the trade route with Miller. The Rangers actually cooked here, with a first-rounder, second-rounder and Scott Morrow in return. The key is that the team has to work with Morrow to help him become the best version of himself. For a cap-strapped team such as the Rangers, there's a difference between investing in a 22-year-old in the last year of their entry-level contract and a defenseman looking for a raise from his $3.9 million cap hit. If any team can help Miller play to his potential, it's the Hurricanes, considering how well this team has maximized defensemen within its system over the years. While he will be expected to play a similar role, on the left side of the second pair, a big difference is that he will have Slavin ahead of him on the depth chart for support instead of being surrounded by replacement-level defensemen. That takes some pressure off of Miller, but then there are the expectations that come with signing an eight-year deal with an AAV of $7.5 million. If the Canes can harness all of the tools Miller brings to a lineup, he can be worth that new contract. Some of his comps show that potential path, such as Esa Lindell. But it's going to take some work to get to that point, because as it stands, his market value only projects to be $5.7 million over the next eight years. And other comps, such as Rasmus Ristolainen and Zach Bogosian, show a much bleaker path. Advertisement The Hurricanes are a rare contending team with cap space and trade assets at its disposal, so they can afford to take a swing like this, especially with their track record of elevating players within the system. The contract term and cost are just what makes this more of a gamble. Hurricanes grade: B+ Rangers grade: B Corey Pronman: Miller is a huge defenseman who is quite mobile for his size. He is physical enough and uses his big body. His pure skill doesn't rise to the same level of his great athleticism. He can make a pass and has some creativity with the puck, but he's not the most instinctive player. His game can be a bit wild but overall he's an effective two-way player and a quality top-four defenseman. I don't truly understand why he fell out of favor in New York. He's not a legit power-play type (and not the 43-point guy he was two years ago), but he's a very good player who can be a playoff style of defenseman. His new contract is reasonable for his age and skill set. Carolina's blue line, with Miller and Alexander Nikishin, now has two young pillars to build around for a while. Morrow was impressive as a rookie pro, making an impact with Chicago and being one of the top rookie defensemen in the AHL. He's a strong-skating, highly skilled defender who likes to attack with his skill, creativity and shot. There is no doubt that Morrow has the talent to score as a pro and the offensive touch and hockey sense to run a pro power play. Whether Morrow sticks in the NHL or not will come down to his defending. His compete level has historically been an issue, and coaches over the years have not shown much trust in him. It's possible that his freewheeling style could work if his offense is incredible, though, and he showed flashes of that this season. He has NHL potential but he's not a sure thing to be a top-four type. The Rangers obviously preferred to give this money to Gavrikov instead of Miller, so they turned Miller into Morrow and some reasonable draft picks. Gavrikov is a good player — he's older — but if the Rangers decided they wanted to turn away from Miller, they made the best of the situation, even though I think Miller is the best overall asset among the players in this deal. Hurricanes grade: B+ Rangers grade: B- (Photo of K'Andre Miller: Michael Reaves / Getty Images)
