Nikolaj Ehlers was picked ninth overall by the Winnipeg Jets in the 2014 NHL Entry Draft. He stepped onto the NHL scene in the 2015–16 season and quickly turned heads as a key offensive player, thanks to his amazing skating and creative play. Throughout his ten seasons with the Jets, Ehlers has been a reliable scorer, hitting the 20-goal mark in eight of those years. He’s racked up a total of 225 goals and 295 assists, bringing his points tally to 520 over 674 regular-season games.

Ehlers also set some pretty cool milestones, like becoming the highest-scoring Danish player in the NHL and really making a mark for Denmark during the Olympic qualifiers and World Championships. “Obviously I’m very proud of this,” Ehlers said after achieving these feats. “There’s Danish guys that I’ve watched growing up and Frans was obviously one of them. He was an outstanding player in this league. Lucky enough, I got to play with him at the world championships in his last year. It’s a very proud moment. Very happy.”

During the 2024–25 season, when he was 29, Ehlers scored 24 goals and provided 39 assists over 69 games, plus he added seven points in eight playoff games. So, Ehlers is a UFA now that his 7-year, $42 million deal with the Jets has wrapped up.

NHL insider Chris Johnston shared some insights about what might be next for him, as seen on NHL Rumor Report’s X profile. He mentioned, “Re latest on Nikolaj Ehlers: I’ve thought all along he was a great fit for the Hurricanes; wouldn’t be surprised at all to see him end up in Carolina; Capitals had interest; Colorado; someone whispered Lightning, but that’s unconfirmed.”

It looks like the Hurricanes have been in touch with Ehlers’ camp. However, Carolina’s not the only team in the running here. Johnston mentioned that the Washington Capitals are really interested, and there are also some sources connecting Ehlers to the Colorado Avalanche. Ehlers is really weighing his options right now, and it looks like the Capitals might have to free up some cap space to put together a strong offer. Meanwhile, Colorado’s interest shows that he’s still a sought-after player across the league.

“We’ve had talks with his agent,” Hurricanes general manager Eric Tulsky said about Ehlers. ”He’s taking his time to field offers. He’s obviously a very popular person right now, and we’re waiting to see where that goes.” As free agency heats up, Ehlers is still the top unrestricted forward available. So, what gives Carolina the upper hand compared to the other teams here?

A fight in the NHL market for Nikolaj Ehlers

Carolina definitely stands out in market value, mainly because of its amazing salary-cap flexibility. So, as we hit early July, the Hurricanes are sitting on about $17 million in cap space left, which is a pretty good chunk compared to what most contenders have. This allows them the flexibility to comfortably handle a high-cost contract for Ehlers in the $8–9 million AAV range without interfering with internal re-signings or other offseason moves.

On the flip side, Washington doesn’t have much wiggle room—around $7 million on hand—which means they need to clear some salary before they can make a solid offer. Colorado’s got a bit of a squeeze with only about $4 million to work with, which means Carolina has the best shot at putting together a deal that’s both financially solid and offers good terms. This offseason, there’s a real shortage of top forwards in the market, which definitely ramps up the urgency.

While other teams might stretch their limits or mix things up, Carolina is in a great position with their resources, stable roster, and strong organizational drive. That really puts them at the front of the line when it comes to market value.