On July 1, NHL insiders were carving out the best possible landing spot for the now former Winnipeg Jets forward Nikolaj Ehlers, who turned to unrestricted free agency, and here we are. Just two days later, on July 3, the Carolina Hurricanes gobbled him up. NHL insider Chris Johnston had foreseen that the forward would be placed in the locker rooms of the Colorado Avalanche or the Lightning, but Ehlers ended up taking a detour to Carolina after striking a massive deal with the Hurricanes. 

Fans had been rooting for this deal, and the Hurricanes’ GM has done it. When the franchise’s general manager, Eric Tulsky, was asked about the transaction, he said, “Nikolaj was the top free agent available on July 1. And we are proud that he’s chosen to make Carolina his home.” He also added, “He’s a highly-skilled winger who can really skate and will fit very well with our forward group.” The 29-year-old winger was first drafted by the Winnipeg Jets in 2014. 

Since then, he earned the accolade of being one of the top offensive guys in the league. He has made a total of 225 goals and 295 assists after playing 674 games over his career. His breakout year was 2016-17 when he scored 64 points, 26 more than his first year in the NHL. Apart from his stats, his moves on ice have garnered awe and attention. For these reasons, the Canes nation can breathe a sigh of relief. 

Now let’s talk numbers. The Hurricanes have signed him on a six-year, $51,000,000 deal, which brings his annual cap hit to a whopping $8.5 million per year. Meanwhile, the Jets will have to pivot in their strategy to find a replacement for Ehlers. Post the Hurricanes signing, the Jets took to their official X handle to express their gratitude to Ehlers for all that he has done with the franchise so far, “From first-round pick to the highest-scoring Danish player in NHL history, and all the countless memories in between, thank you for everything, Fly. All the best in Carolina.”

Nikolaj Ehlers is a great addition to the Canes who had to let go of Mikko Rantanen to the Dallas Stars in exchange for Logan Stankoven. With this six-year contract, Ehlers future in the NHL is secure. Ehlers’ deal is the second in line for the Hurricanes in this off-season after the Hurricanes acquired star defender, K’Andre Miller, of the New York Rangers. The 25-year-old defenseman has just signed an eight-year $60 million deal with the Hurricanes who were initially looking to sign Miller with an offer sheet but instead agreed to a sign and trade deal with the Rangers in exchange for multiple picks from Carolina including a 2026 first-round pick.

NHL community happy with the Hurricanes’ new signee: Nikolaj Ehlers  

After they signed a deal, the NHL’s Carolina Hurricanes posted a creative welcoming Ehlers to the team on X (formerly known as Twitter). Shortly after, the post started gaining traction with fans reacting to them. The new revelation attracted this fan’s comment, “Great pickup for Carolina. No doubt. Florida, Carolina, and Toronto are going to be the three teams in the East that will be favored to advance to the 2026 Stanley Cup Final.” However, there is still some skepticism surrounding the Canes’ prowess to beat the Panthers.

After defeating Alex Ovechkin’s Capitals in the second round of the postseason Stanley Cup play-offs, the Hurricanes struggled to find their footing in the third round against the Panthers. But fans are not giving up hope. This Hurricanes fan implied optimism in their comment, “The Canes just got sooo much better 💯.” The Hurricanes line-up now boasts stars like Sebastian Aho, S. Jarvis, M. Necas, along with Nikolaj Ehlers. 

But while the NHL community is happy for the deal, the Jets fans had a thing or two to say to the Canes: “Please take care of Fly, Canes fans! He’s an absolute beauty, and you’ll love him just as much as we did for years in Winnipeg.” It was followed by another message: “You’re getting a good player & an even better person. Take care of Ehlers from a sad @NHLJets fan. Good luck, Nik🏒.”

As if this was not enough, one more comment was full of emotional outburst for Nikolaj Ehlers: “We’ll miss you Nik! 😭💙”. But overall, we can safely say that fans are happy for him. An adorable and heartwarming take landed in the comments, “Looks good in that sweater.” Let’s see how the new and revamped Hurricanes team is going to fare in the upcoming season.