The Winnipeg Jets had their season-ending media availability on Tuesday without Nikolaj Ehlers.
The 28-year-old right winger headed overseas following the Jets' post-season elimination to play for his native Denmark in the 2025 IIHF World Championship.
Ehlers is eligible for UFA status on July 1. According to Murat Ates of The Athletic, that makes the longtime Jets winger the club's biggest question mark heading into the off-season. His teammates sang his praises, hoping he'd return next season, but Ates indicated he might consider testing the market after a decade in Winnipeg.
Questions about Ehlers' future in Winnipeg go back a year, when reports emerged that the Jets had floated his name in the trade market amid concerns whether they could re-sign him. The speculation carried over into the 2024 NHL draft and the early weeks of July.
Nothing came of the trade conjecture, and Jets GM Kevin Cheveldayoff hopes to make Ehlers a Jet for life. However, the inability of both sides to get a contract extension done during the season lends credence to the speculation of his departure on July 1.
Sportsnet's Alex Adams believes Ehlers would be a perfect fit alongside Ottawa Senators center Tim Stutzle. His colleague, Justin Bourne, felt Ehlers could be an affordable option for the Toronto Maple Leafs if Mitch Marner departs as a UFA. Ben Kuzma of The Province thinks the Vancouver Canucks could be among Ehlers' suitors.
Speaking of the Canucks, they're leaving the door open for Brock Boeser to return if he fails to find a suitable deal elsewhere via free agency. However, the 28-year-old right winger shouldn't have much difficulty landing with another club.
One of them could be the Maple Leafs. Kevin McGran of the Toronto Star and Steve Simmons of the Toronto Sun included him among their lists of potential UFA options to replace Marner.
Boeser will seek a raise over his current average annual value of $6.65 million. Something between $8 million and $9 million annually on a long-term deal would make him more affordable for the Leafs than whatever it would've cost to retain Marner.
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