The Carolina Hurricanes signed free agent forward Nikolaj Ehlers to a six-year contract with a $8.5 million cap hit on Thursday. Ehlers had spent his entire 10-year NHL career with the Winnipeg Jets, registering 225 goals and 295 assists over 674 games. He ranks fifth all-time for the Jets in career goals and assists.

There was nothing the Winnipeg Jets could say or do to ensure Nikolaj Ehlers remained in Navy blue for life. “(My leaving Winnipeg) was inevitable,” Ehlers said on a Saturday morning Zoom call. “I told (Jets management),

Ehlers and the Carolina Hurricanes agreed to a six-year, $51 million contract in free agency on Friday, per Stephen Whyno of the Associated Press. The 29-year-old hit free agency after his previous seven-year, $42 million contract with the Jets expired following the 2024-25 season.