The Carolina Hurricanes have finalized their star signing of the offseason, securing forward Nik Ehlers with a six-year, $51 million contract. Ehlers was the most prominent unrestricted free agent available after the new league year officially opened.
“Nikolaj was the best free agent available on July 1st, and we are proud that he has chosen to make Carolina his home,” said General Manager Eric Tulsky. “He is a very skilled winger who can really skate and will fit in very well with our forward group.”
Eric Tulsky, General Manager of the Carolina Hurricanes
The winger has spent his entire 10-year career with the Winnipeg Jets, who selected him ninth overall in 2014, accumulating 225 goals and 520 points in 674 games. Ehlers has surpassed the 20-goal mark in eight seasons and averaged nearly 16 minutes per game in both 5-on-5 play and power play.
The 29-year-old player is coming off one of his best seasons, after scoring 24 goals and earning 63 points in 69 games. Winnipeg won the franchise’s first Presidents’ Trophy, awarded to the league’s best team, thanks to its 122-point campaign, and Ehlers added five goals and seven points in the playoff games as the Jets battled to a second-round postseason defeat against Dallas. Carolina has been trying to add a long-term scoring winger like Ehlers for over a year. Former general manager Don Waddell brought in Jake Guentzel at the 2024 trade deadline to give the Hurricanes a boost, but Guentzel ultimately left in free agency. Then, Tulsky tried to improve the Hurricanes by acquiring Mikko Rantanen in a trade with Colorado in January. However, the association was not meant to be, as Rantanen, then a pending unrestricted free agent, made it clear that he would not re-sign with Carolina, so Tulsky was forced to trade him again (this time to the Stars). Tulsky had also tried to acquire then-Toronto Maple Leafs forward Mitch Marner at the deadline, but Marner refused to waive his no-trade clause to complete the transaction. The Hurricanes could have used some help. Carolina was one of the top 10 offensive teams in the 2024-25 regular season, averaging 3.24 goals per game, but that number fell below three in the playoffs and Carolina struggled especially in the Eastern Conference final against Florida to consistently generate up front. Now, the Hurricanes have a pure offensive threat in Ehlers who has committed to the franchise. He will integrate into a top-six role and should elevate potential new linemates like Sebastian Aho and Jesperi Kotkaniemi.
