He was supposed to be a 'Jet for life'. It was supposed to be, 'draft and develop'. So what went wrong between Nikolaj Ehlers and the Winnipeg Jets? Nothing, yet everything. Selected early in the 2014 NHL Draft, Ehlers bypassed the American Hockey League and jumped right into NHL play following a stellar Junior career with the QMJHL's Halifax Mooseheads. He scored his first goal against Henrik Lundqvist and the New York Rangers on October 13, 2015. Photo by Scott Stroh [https://deweb-519a7.b-cdn.net/post-images/22e31797-4064-4bcb-aa32-685d01eb4e3f.jpeg] Photo by Scott Stroh Ten seasons later and the now 29-year-old has opted to part ways with the organization that took him ninth overall. Ehlers has since become the NHL's all-time leading scorer among Danish-born players. Over his time with Winnipeg he has shot up the rankings to the fourth position in Jets' 2.0 history in games played, goals, assists and points. His time with the Jets was spectacular. Always one to provide a laugh, a raw and honest opinion, or a slow, drawn-out response in his media availabilities, Ehlers was just as loved off the ice as he was on it. Skating in 674 games for the Jets, the Dashing Dane put up 225 goals and 520 points to go alongside 222 penalty minutes and a +106 +/- rating. He had another nine goals and 21 points in 45 postseason games. And despite his diminutive stature, the speedy forward was never afraid to get in the face of his opponents, willingly dropping the mitts when called upon. Who could forget his spirited tilts against Ryan Getzlaf, Jamie Benn, Brad Marchand or Corey Perry? On Thursday, Ehlers opted to sign a six-year, $51 million contract with the Eastern Conference's Carolina Hurricanes, effectively ending his time in Manitoba. The choice came after earning the right to be an unrestricted free agent by way of years of service to Winnipeg. Unable to sort out any sort of extension with GM Kevin Cheveldayoff and the front office staff during the past season, Ehlers let his name stand as a UFA and opted to test the waters of free agency. It took until the third day of the signing period for him to officially come to a decision, but the choice was a definitive one: he was not going back to Winnipeg. Whether it was even an option in his mind is likely a question that will never be answered. Did Cheveldayoff offer to match the Hurricanes' offer of six years at $8.5 million per season? It's very possible that Chevy and Co. did not offer a dollar value of $8.5 million per season, as that is the exact number they are paying their top centre Mark Scheifele and Hart Trophy winning goaltender Connor Hellebuyck - who both signed matching extensions two seasons ago. If it was all about the money, Ehlers likely could have signed elsewhere for seven seasons at an even higher rate of pay, so the decision to move to Carolina likely comes as a culture shift with a hope for more effective usage and a real shot at the Stanley Cup. Ehlers, who ranked ninth among forwards in ice time in the Jets' second round playoff matchup with Dallas finished the round as the team's point-scoring leader. Fittingly, that has been a role he has found himself in over the majority of his time with the Jets. Whether it was under the coaching of Paul Maurice, Dave Lowry, Rick Bowness or Scott Arniel, he never could quite find a way to usurp various characters on the top line and power play unit, including Patrik Laine, Blake Wheeler, Pierre-Luc Dubois, Mark Scheifele, Kyle Connor and Gabe Vilardi - to name a few. His ~16 minute average of ice time per game puts him somewhere between second and third line players, despite owning speed, a skillset and hockey IQ among the very best in the league. It is with the Hurricanes where he hopes to find a new path to greatness. A strong forward corps including the likes of Andrei Svechnikov, Sebastian Aho, Seth Jarvis, Logan Stankoven, Jackson Blake, Jesperi Kotkaniemi, Taylor Hall and Jordan Staal should provide ample competition for the always passionate Ehlers. Will he find his Stanley Cup glory with Carolina? He sure thinks so, and has 51 million reasons to believe his new landing spot is as legitimate as they come. After having spent time under the watchful tutelage of recent back-to-back Stanley Cup-winning head coach Paul Maurice, Ehlers will now get to work for another champion and noted winner, Rod Brind'Amour. With Winnipeg in the rearview mirror, Ehlers will look to stay healthy and play six complete 82-game seasons in Carolina - something he only managed to do three out of his 10 seasons in Winnipeg. With the NHL schedule yet to be released for the 2025-26 season, fans will surely look to circle the lone battle at Canada Life Centre between the Jets and Hurricanes for the coming year, where Ehlers should receive a hearty hello from fans in attendance. Although it wasn't the ending that Jets fans had in mind, it is a change of scenery that hopefully gives a much deserving player the chance he so highly covets - that of playing meaningful minutes and winning a Stanley Cup. And with Carolina, he should be able to accomplish both.
