New Jersey Devils

Blake’s Takes: The Jack Hughes Contract Extension

Jack Hughes 2021-22

For those who celebrated, I hope you all had a great Hanukkah. For those who don’t, Christmas is right around the corner. In this week’s column, I’ll lead off with my favorite topic, another big extension. This week’s recipient is none other than former first-overall pick, Jack Hughes. I’ll comment on Hughes’ newfound wealth as well as the most-recent player to receive the honor of a jersey retirement.

Those weren’t the only two things to happen in hockey last week. I’ll also take a look at the two new Stadium Series jerseys and a few of my favorite plays.

Happy Monday!

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Blake’s Takes: Jerseys in Jersey and Happy Hanukkah

A day late, but better than never! Last week was a huge week around the NHL. This week, I’ll share my thoughts on Evander Kane’s potential return to the ice as well as a dustup involving two of the league’s most frequent offenders.

On a lighter note, a few new uniforms were released last week and they are deserving of my attention. I wrote more than a few words about those uniforms as well another take or two.

Happy Tuesday and Happy Hanukkah!

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Blake’s Takes: The 2021-22 Season is Underway

The 2021-22 NHL season has officially begun. It’s been an exciting first week. The Seattle Kraken took the ice for the very first time as an NHL team. NHL GMs decided to get some last-minute work in signing a few massive extensions, too. So many extensions in fact I won’t be able to get to all of them this week. I will provide my two cents on the Kraken, one extension, as well as a few other notable stories around the NHL.

Happy Monday!

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Blake’s Takes: Coyotes in Search of a New Home

Welcome back to my column. One day late but better late than never. This week, I’ll lead with the Arizona Coyotes on the verge of homelessness after this season. I’ll also share my thoughts on one NHL coaches’ quest for new work as well as a few player milestones.

Happy Tuesday!

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Blake’s Takes: Enter Jack Campbell

This week’s column is much more upbeat than week’s past. I’ll highlight one of hockey’s best stories unfolding in Toronto, as well as our first big trade before the deadline.

My other takes involve two top prospects and my favorite goalie mask I’ve ever seen.

Happy Monday!

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Blake’s Takes: Brent Seabrook Hangs Up the Skates

Another exciting week in the NHL. Unfortunately, there was some sad news as Brent Seabrook decided to retire due to injury. I’ll provide some context and honor him as he deserves to be honred. I’ll also touch on a few other important honors as well as a horribly tone-deaf coaching hire.

Happy Monday!

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Blake’s Takes: Outdoor Games at Lake Tahoe

Last week was perhaps the most exciting week of the NHL season. The league hosted two outdoor games at Lake Tahoe. The broadcast was incredible and the league might have created one of the most-attractive made-for-TV sporting experiences we’ve seen yet. I’ll share my thoughts on the Lake Tahoe experiment in this week’s column.

In addition to the outdoor games, the past week wasn’t short for headlines. New Jersey named their newest captain and a few other milestones were achieved. As usual, I’ll also share with you one of my favorite plays of the week.

Happy Monday!

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Blake’s Takes: Team USA Wins the World Junior Championships

NHL games start in a few days. That’s the most important thing about this week. However, last week still provided a ton of news from around the league. We saw another captain named, one of the game’s greats retire, and the end of the World Junior Championships in Edmonton. The NHL also announced a few of their unconventional business plans. I’ll speak to it all in this week’s column. Happy Monday!

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Blake’s Takes: We Have a New CBA

The NHL continues to dominate sports in a world infested with COVID-19. The NHL and NHLPA agreed to extend the CBA last week. The new CBA confirmed quite a few details regarding the future of the NHL. That includes firm dates for the league’s Phase 3 and Phase 4 Return to Play Plan, an approved international calendar, and many other awesome things. I’ll break it all down with my takes for this week.

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Blake’s Takes: Black Lives Matter

The United States is still reeling from the death of George Floyd and the increased exposure of police brutality towards black people and people of color. In this edition of Blake’s Takes, I’ll highlight some very important steps the NHL and its players are taking to combat racism both internally and externally. I’ll also share my perspective on the league’s decision to move into Phase 2 of its Return to Play plan. #BlackLivesMatter
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