James Carey Lauder-Imagn ImagesThis summer, Spencer Lazary and I will continue our series with more potential free agent targets that could be on the market on July 1st.
Today, we talk about 10-year vet Nikolaj Ehlers.
Target: Nikolaj Ehlers – LW – 29 Years Old – 10 Years Experience
Ehlers has spent his entire 10-year NHL career with the Winnipeg Jets. Being a Jet lifer, most fans and experts think he'll re-sign in Winnipeg, as they will have close to $25 million to spend, and he's their most important potential free agent. If the Winnipeg Jets can make a Stanley Cup run, that may actually hurt Winnipeg's chances of keeping him.
Stats
Ehlers played in 69 games this past season. He scored 24 goals and totaled 63 points for the Presidents Trophy-winning Jets. He also scored 6 power-play goals and had 22 power-play points. In his 10-year career, he has 225 goals and 520 points in 674 games. He has an 82-game average of 63 points.
In his playoff career, he's scored 4 goals and has 15 points in 39 games.
Previous Salary
Ehlers signed a 7-year, $42,000,000 contract with a cap hit of $6,000,000 per season in October of 2017, and it'll be expiring on June 30th. Contract experts put his next deal and around $7.5 million per season for six years.
Realistic Chances Of A Signing
Last May, THN Columbus wrote about Ehlers being a nice fit for the Jackets, but that was with a trade. As a free agent, Ehlers looks like even more of a fit. Ehlers wouldn't break the bank, and would bring a solid veteran piece into a lineup that needs just a bit more experience. Ehlers will most likely draw attention from a lot of teams, but Don Waddell should be at the top of that list.
Let us know what you think below.
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