If you were to poll the hockey community at large, I think most would agree that free agency this season was a massive dud. Most of the big names were already off the market by July 1st, leaving everyone disappointed when noon rolled around that Tuesday. The day was rendered even more boring when the top name on the board announced he wasn't signing immediately.
However, the wait was well worth it for the Carolina Hurricanes, who wrangled Nikolaj Ehlers on a six-year, $51 million deal. Rumors of the Canes trying to add Ehlers predate his signing, with a few attempts made in recent years to bring him to Raleigh. Now, he's officially a Hurricane, joining a crop of talented players locked up for many years to come.
Drafted 9th overall by the Jets in 2014, the Danish forward has only ever known Winnipeg. Not only has he become one of Winnipeg's most prolific scorers, Ehlers is Denmark's top NHL scorer, passing Frans Nielsen early last season. Now, the Hurricanes are cornering the market on top Danes, holding two of Denmark's first 6 selections for the Olympics in February, along with Frederik Andersen.
Last season: 24-39-63 in 69 games (w/ WPG)/5-2-7 in the playoffs
Like his team, Ehlers came out of the gates soaring last season. As the Jets won 15 of their first 16 games, Ehlers had nine goals and 20 points, including his fifth-career hat trick in Columbus on November 1st. He started slowing down as November continued until an attempted check against Vegas' Pavel Dorofeyev late in the month put him on the shelf for nine games with a lower-body injury.
The best way to describe his game from there would be steady. He returned in mid-December and was nearly a point-per-game player into early April (38 points in 43 games). Ehlers reaggravated his foot injury after colliding with a linesman and needing to be helped off the ice. He missed the Jets' final two games of the regular season and the start of the playoffs.
Ehlers returned to the lineup for Game 6 of their 1st-round series against the St. Louis Blues. He provided the secondary assist on the Jets' goal in the dying seconds of Game 7 to force overtime before they won the series. Ehlers was the team's leading scorer in the 2nd round, scoring five goals and six points as Winnipeg fell to the Dallas Stars in six games.
Bold Prediction: Ehlers plays at least 75 games this season
To some, this wouldn't seem like a big deal. However, as I mentioned when he signed in July, Ehlers has only played more than 70 games in a season once in the last four years, playing a full season in 2023-24. He missed 13 games last season, along with five postseason contests. For a player the team has invested a lot of money in, they need him on the ice as much as possible.
When he's on the ice, Ehlers has proven incredibly effective. He has topped 20 goals in eight of his 10 seasons, and finished last season with 63 points, the second-most of his career, despite missing that time. He'll have every chance to thrive, likely lining up on Sebastian Aho's wing to begin the season and getting time on the top power play.
I urge everyone to temper their expectations of Ehlers as he gets used to a new system. I expect this to be a magnificent fit for both the player and the organization, but we can't expect him to light up the world from the drop of the puck. I'm excited to see what this marriage can become, especially as one of the biggest free-agent additions in team history.