Carolina Hurricanes forward Jackson Blake might be in a breakout season
Jackson Blake had himself a heck of a day yesterday. Although he would never admit it because it came in in a notw winning effort. I have this this I don’t know timeline of events that happens and this is part of our who’s got next episode today. Uh looking at the the Carolina Hurricanes. Um when Jackson Blake scores like he did last night a couple times. Could have been with how well he played and the chances he created. He could have had three, could have had four. Uh, with how well he played, when he scores a goal, there is about 15 seconds where I just think about how good the goal is, right? I watch the celebration. I in the interest of the one that you just heard the highlight for, I go, did he score it? Where’s the puck? Let’s watch the replay. Uh, and then about 16 seconds after he scores, I can’t help but my imagination jumps to like 5 years in the future. And I just think about how good he could be. And I think about what happens when he reigns in just a little bit of the recklessness but keeps all of the creativity. And I think about what happens as he develops more uh chemistry with Stanovven and Elers, who I hope stay on a line together for a long time. And I and and my my imagination keeps going and going and going and then I realize they’re playing again and like the the puck’s already down in the offensive zone and I I got to I got to reel it back in. But but Jackson Blake is in a I would say nonobvious way because he’s not, you know, 63 215 uh built in a lab hockey prospect in a not obvious way is really showing off what a ceiling might be for him down the road. his energy, his his uh willingness to do the little things, and then on top of that, he’s he’s producing. I think he’s on pace for 61 points this year, something like that. Uh I think I read that. Yeah, it’s about that. I think I read that last night. Um so last year finished with 34. last year finished with 34, signs the contract extension, tack on another 25, 26 and and start projecting out that uh that graph gets very high very quickly at that at that rate. Jackson Blake after the game uh gave the media his thoughts on his performance. Obviously wouldn’t like to put that one in in overtime. and that would have really capped it off. But um you know, I thought for the most part, like as a group, we played we played well. Um to have two goals in front of my friends and family, it’s something you dream of. And um but you know, we got a point as a as a group and I like the way we kind of finished there. I think we were hungry. So, you know, it was a it was a really fun game. It’s always fun playing at home um in front of my family and friends and stuff. So, it would have been better if we got the win. There’s there’s a reverse element to a conversation we have had quite a bit in the last month going on with Jackson Blake last night, right? Because you heard him say, “Really wish I would have finished that one in overtime.” Right? He had the breakaway in overtime. Uh where any athlete in the history of athletes watched him and went, “Oh, he’s he’s dog tired. He’s gassed. Their legs are 110 pounds each right now.” And he was just doing everything he could to get to the finish line. Um, I used to have to do playbyplay of uh cross country early in my career. And if you ever if you haven’t experienced it once, you should go watch the state cross country like championships of your state’s high school and watch those those kids give everything they have the last 100 yards. Kids will be crawling. Kids kids will be like stumbling sideways, not not seeing straight because they just they have nothing left. He wasn’t quite there, but he was on the way, right? He he he had nothing in the tank. Um, but here’s the the the good part of that or the way to think of it, I guess, the the the angle through which I look at it. Remember when Bryce Young had all these for the Carolina Panthers had all these game-winning drives and I had to sit here and be the bearer of bad news and go, if you have to have all these come from behind games, but you’re the reason that you were behind, like that’s you’re just trying to get back to even, right? You’re just like it’s not you caused the hole so I don’t know how much I get to digging out the hole. Jackson Blake. Yeah, sure. I’m sure he really really wanted to to find the back of the net on that breakaway in overtime, right? And I’m sure when he closed his eyes on on whatever hotel they stayed at last night um getting ready for tomorrow’s game, I’m sure when he closed his eyes, he saw it over and over and over again on replay on what he should have done and what you know I should have had this and should have done that. They’re not in overtime or anywhere near it without Jackson Blake and the way he played that line. Jackson Blake leading the way. Stanovven dealers there with him dragged the the Carolina Hurricanes at times towards staying in that game. And I actually think there were other uh goal opportunities that may even be a little bit more frustrating than the one in overtime when Jackson Blake found Stankovven down on uh I think it was the second period, minute or two left. Uh Blake was behind the net and he flipped it back to the left side where Stankovven was. I think that’s one that’s going to replay in their brains. But they just kept like I could name two or three more. Like when a line has two or three more chances to take the game and they had two of the goals that allowed you to even be in position to take the game. That’s such a good day individually, right? It’s one of those days where you can’t smile because the team didn’t win, but deep inside you’re like, I had a pretty good day. A couple plays in the highlight reel going on that one. Hope that kid that made fun of me in high school saw tonight. Like it’s you. It’s the hidden smile. And then this is the part that I I uh keep reminding everybody as part of the who’s got next episode of the day. He’s 22 years old. He’s 22 years old. And it’s not like the Canes are some bad team where they they look to because it happens in every sport, right? If you’re bad, you draft high. You look to it like a 22 year old young guy and go, “All right, it’s your team. Lead the way.” Right? If we’re going to win games, you’re going to have to drag us there. If we’re going to have uh overtime opportunities, you’re going to have to drag us there. The Canes aren’t that. Canes have a bunch of dudes that should be dragging them to to overtime. Kanees have a bunch of stars, bunch of high paid guys, bunch of proven postseason success, guys. Jackson Blake said, “Yeah, it’s cool. I got it.” I’m a big fan of his his mentals, big fan of his outlook on the game. And it’s it’s one of those questions where right now, right, it’s going to be a bit inconsistent. Young guys always are. Um it’s it’s not going to be, you know, the most obvious thing every night. But when you see a game like last night, you ask yourself, or at least I ask myself, three or four years from now, where is he in the hierarchy of the Canes? As far as best forwards, as far as guys you want with the puck, with the game on the line three or four years from now, how high does he rise? And what names are you going like, am I really about to suggest that three or four years from now, he might be over fill in the blank? Yeah. whichever one just popped into your brain. I think we’re all considering the same the same guys. And it’s good to know when you have a guy in a long-term contract like that. Uh cuz he’s under contract forever. Uh it hasn’t even kicked in yet. Uh at a very reasonable number. Reasonable might be saying it a little too too lightly. At a cheap number, by the way, the cap’s going up. Uh, it’s good business done by the Carolina Hurricanes.
Tim Donnelly & Dennis Cox discuss how the Carolina Hurricanes got a breakout performance from an emerging star in Jackson Blake against the Minnesota Wild.
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