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Jackson Blake, Carolina Hurricanes (Amy Irvin / The Hockey Writers)

3 Carolina Hurricanes Players to Take the Next Step in 2025-26

Originally posted on The Hockey Writers | By Zach Martin | Last updated Jul 19, 2025 1:25 PM ET

The 2025-26 schedules are officially out, and the NHL is another day closer to opening night, a day fans are ready to be here. Regarding the Carolina Hurricanes, they’re officially 82 days away from their home opener and opening night game on Oct. 9 against the New Jersey Devils.

There are high expectations for the Hurricanes entering their eighth season in the Rod Brind’Amour era. After acquiring Nikolaj Ehlers and K’Andre Miller, hopes are high for a Metropolitan Division title, another deep playoff run, and more importantly, a trip to the Stanley Cup Final for the first time since 2006. Before all of that, however, there are hopes of big seasons for many players on the Hurricanes’ roster. That said, who are three players on the Hurricanes roster that should take that next step in 2025-26 to help the Hurricanes reach their ultimate goal?

Taking That Next Step in 2025-26

Logan Stankoven

The first name that comes to mind is Kamloops native Logan Stankoven. Stankoven joined the Hurricanes via the trade deadline on March 7 and showed signs of why he was the main target in the trade with the Dallas Stars. In 19 regular-season games, he tallied five goals and nine points, one of those goals being a game-winning marker. He followed that up with five goals and eight points in 15 playoff games in his Hurricanes postseason debut.

Stankoven was one of the underrated impact players of the playoffs, especially on the Hurricanes, who had Seth Jarvis, Sebastian Aho, and Andrei Svechnikov leading the way. The 22-year-old looks to take the next step in his first full season with the Hurricanes in 2025-26 as he enters the last year of his entry-level contract (ELC). Back on July 1 at the start of the free agency and re-sign phase, Stankoven signed an eight-year, $48 million deal, which comes out to an average annual value (AAV) of $6 million per season starting in 2026-27.

In just 102 career NHL games, Stankoven has scored 20 goals and tallied 52 points over that span. Even in the playoffs, he’s had eight goals and 16 points in 34 games. The British Columbia forward is looking for some stability in his first full season with one team. He made his NHL debut with the Stars in 2023-24, playing in 24 games after spending most of the season with the Texas Stars in the American Hockey League (AHL). During 2024-25, he was part of the trade that now sees him being a Hurricane for the next nine seasons. This season will be one for him to settle in and show what he can do as a mainstay for an 82-game season with one team.

It’ll be interesting to see where Brind’Amour and his staff slot Stankoven in the lineup after spending most of the regular season and the playoffs with Jordan Staal and Jordan Martinook on the Hurricanes’ third line. It would make sense to keep him there after the chemistry those three showed through the 15 postseason games, after Stankoven scored five goals in 15 games. However, there could be a case to see him in the top six as well for the Hurricanes.

He could be slotted on the right wing, where he’s mainly played for most of his NHL career, or he could see some time as the Hurricanes’ second-line center. There have been mentions of the possibility of seeing him as the 2C since he played center during his junior career with the Kamloops Blazers and the Stars in the AHL. He has also seen time as a center with the NHL Stars as well. Either way, the Hurricanes are looking forward to seeing him play for the red and black for a full season before his eight-year contract kicks in on July 1, 2026.

Jackson Blake

Another player looking to take the next step in his career is forward Jackson Blake. The Fargo, North Dakota, native tallied 17 goals and 34 points in his rookie season for the Hurricanes in 2024-25. Blake’s 34 points placed him ninth on the Hurricanes, which saw him play up and down the lineup throughout the season. He saw time on the top line with Aho, Jarvis, and even Svechnikov. He even saw time with the Jordans, along with time on the fourth line.

For someone who did not have consistent linemates, Blake made the best of the opportunities he was placed with and had a solid season, all things considered, for a 21-year-old. Blake was 10th in rookie points, compared to Stankoven’s sixth-place ranking.

The hope for Blake in 2025-26 is more consistent playing time with one line and not being bounced around the lineup. The thing is, however, where does he fit in the Hurricanes’ lineup this upcoming season? The addition of Ehlers shrinks the top six on the Hurricanes at the winger position, especially with Jarvis and Svechnikov being mainstays on the two top lines.

The one player Blake could fit for a spot in the top six could be Taylor Hall. Plus, if the Hurricanes feel like Stankoven is someone to keep on the third line with the Jordans, then that’s one less player to fight for a top-six spot. Either way, it’ll be something to keep an eye on in the Hurricanes’ camp to see where Brind’Amour and his staff could place Blake for the 2025-26 season.

Blake is entering the last year of his ELC before he gets his next contract, even if he is a restricted free agent (RFA) in the summer of 2026. He averaged 13:51 of ice time last season while tallying five power-play goals and six game-winning goals over the 80 games he played in 2024-25. Even in his postseason debut, he averaged 16:55 of ice time while putting up three goals and six points in 15 games.

Blake has shown that he can be an everyday NHLer and could be someone who will be part of the core for the next few seasons. It will come down to where the coaching staff places him and if they give him proper linemates for more than a few weeks at a time. Giving the young player consistent guys to play alongside all season will be a boost for Blake going into his second full season in the NHL. This will be a pivotal season for the Fargo native who will look to get a payday on his next contract.

Jesperi Kotkaniemi

The last spot on this list could have gone to a couple of guys, one of them being Svechnikov after a down regular season, despite a huge 2025 playoff run. Another could have been Pyotr Kochetkov after taking a dip right before the playoffs, but he held his own after taking the bulk of the work last season with Frederik Anderon missing over 30 games again. However, the last player on this list is Finnish forward Jesperi Kotkaniemi.

The 2025-26 season will be a telling one for the 25-year-old who did have a bounce-back season, for the most part, in 2024-25. Kotkaniemi finished the season with 12 goals and 33 points, after having 12 goals and only 27 points the season before. While the goal totals didn’t take a jump, there was an uptick in assists from 15 to 21 in 78 games compared to 79 in 2023-24. The one thing that helps Kotkaniemi is that his faceoff numbers have been consistent, going from 51.5 to 51.8% over the last two seasons. He has been over 50% in the faceoff dot since joining the Hurricanes, which is something the team is known for, thanks to Brind’Amour being someone tough to beat in that facet of the game.

Other than that, Kotkaniemi does have a physical side to his game. He had 66 hits in 2024-25 after having 105 in 2022-23. His two-way game is more so defensively than offensively, which fits with the Hurricanes’ system. However, as the 2C, his production needs to be there on the scoresheet rather than just off the sheet analytics.

Kotkaniemi has been the center of rumors of the last two summers, especially with him being mentioned on the buyout watch. He enters year four of his eight-year, $4.82 million AAV deal, one of which isn’t too bad when it comes to the optics with the cap being at $95.5 million this upcoming season. However, Kotkaniemi’s game plays more of the 3C, not a bona fide 2C. The thing with that is Staal is the team’s 3C, and it’s tough to imagine Brind’Amour moving him down to give Kotkaniemi that spot.

Kotkaniemi does have a skillset that fits the Hurricanes’ system, but the problem is where he truly fits in the lineup. If he were the 3C, he’s a perfect fit there. But as the 2C, the production needs to be there to take the Hurricanes from knocking on the door to winning the franchise’s second Stanley Cup. This will be a big season for Kotkaniemi if he is someone who will be part of the core moving forward. He has the talent to do so; he has to be put in the right situation to thrive and be the player the Hurricanes believe he can be. He will be someone to watch to hopefully take the next step this upcoming October and beyond.

82 Days From Opening Night

The excitement and the anticipation for the 2025-26 season grow as each day passes. Fans are ready for the season to begin, and no one can blame them. The cap went up significantly, plus a ton of teams have positioned themselves to have great seasons for the franchises and the fan bases. For the Hurricanes, they are poised to have another deep playoff run with the hopes of making it past the Eastern Conference Final for the first time since 2006. It’ll be a long road until then, but the expectations and hopes are high for Brind’Amour and the team, who look to make the playoffs for the eighth consecutive season. There are only 82 days until opening night for the Hurricanes. But who’s counting?