The Winnipeg Jets are coming off the organization’s best season in team history, with 56 regular season wins bringing home the President’s Trophy. Meanwhile, the Carolina Hurricanes are in the most promising place the franchise has been in this decade. With the fourth most cap space in the entire National Hockey League, the team is sure to make a run at a big name player next week.
Sportsnet’s Luke Fox believes the Hurricanes are capable of stealing one of the Jets’ top forwards, Nikolaj Ehlers.
“(Ehlers) enjoyed his most efficient regular season, and followed it up with a career-high five goals in eight playoff games,” Fox writes. “Now that Ehlers has come this far, one must assume he’ll peek behind the curtain. Competing teams like Vancouver, Carolina and Columbus would surely outbid the Jets for Ehlers’ services this summer in a market thin on 25-goal scorers.”
Admittedly, this feels like a perfect marriage. The Hurricanes have a lot of money to spend, but signing a player like Ehlers means they won’t have to blow their whole wad in once place. Yes he will be pricey, but will likely be $5 million less than the two players a tier above him, Mitch Marner and Sam Bennett. SI’s Jacob Punturi see’s the vision too.
“The Hurricanes should have their eyes set on scoring winger Nikolaj Ehlers in free agency,” Punturi writes. “The eight-time 20-goal scorer with the Winnipeg Jets is set to test the open market, and Carolina should be expending every resource available to get him signed.”
Why The Canes Need To Make A Run At Nikolaj Ehlers
The Canes are a team built on speed and effort. Their nauseating tempo drove team’s crazy in this years Stanley Cup playoffs. Ehlers is another skater that could bring that relentless edge work to Carolina’s top six.
“According to NHL EDGE, Ehlers was one of the fastest skaters in multiple categories this past season,” Punturi cites. “His top recorded speed of the season was 22.98 miles per hour, putting him in the 98th percentile among all NHL skaters. He exceeded 22 mph on four occasions during the 2024-2025 campaign, ranking in the 95th percentile.”
Ehlers is the perfect mix of form and fit for the Carolina Hurricanes. While any team would be lucky to have a player like him, his particular skill set paired with the Canes play style makes this move a game changer.
Can The Winnipeg Jets Afford To Keep Ehlers
The Jets are just one spot below the Hurricanes in the cap rankings. So this may come down to a real life bidding war. Winnipeg has the money to keep the winger, but do they have the desire to do so?
The Jets general manager, Kevin Cheveldayoff, has made no real effort to make sure Ehlers doesn’t hit the market. With no strong statements to tell us otherwise, one can assume the team is not overly concerned with keeping the 29-year-old in town.
There is also four key Jets up for contract next season, Gabriel Vilardi, Dylan Samberg, Kyle Connor, and Adam Lowry all have to get paid. The foresighted general manager may be seeing his 2026 payroll and deciding there’s not enough room for Ehlers on it.
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