'Top free agent' Ehlers leaves Jets for 6-year, $51M US deal with Hurricanes

The Canadian Press

· Posted: Jul 03, 2025 3:25 PM EDT | Last Updated: 3 hours ago

Nikolaj Ehlers is waving goodbye to the Winnipeg Jets.

The winger signed a six-year, $51-million US declaration with the Carolina Hurricanes connected Thursday, the 3rd time of NHL escaped agency.

"Nikolaj was the apical escaped cause disposable connected July 1, and we are arrogant that he's chosen to marque Carolina his home," Hurricanes wide manager Eric Tulsky said successful a statement. "He's a highly-skilled winger who tin truly skate and volition acceptable precise good with our guardant group."

The 29-year-old selected ninth wide astatine the 2014 draught spent a decennary successful the Manitoba capital, wherever helium enactment up 225 goals and 295 assists for 520 points successful 674 regular-season games.

His declaration is the astir lucrative of immoderate signed by an unrestricted escaped cause who near his squad this week, and $250,000 much than Brock Boeser got to re-sign with Vancouver.

The lone bigger contracts person been K'Andre Miller's 8 years and $60 cardinal — besides with Carolina successful a motion and commercialized from the New York Rangers — and Ivan Provorov staying with Columbus for $59.5 cardinal implicit the adjacent 7 seasons.

Jets bid farewell

"From first-round prime to the highest-scoring Danish subordinate successful NHL history, and each the countless memories successful between, convey you for everything, Fly," the Jets posted connected societal media. "All the champion successful Carolina."

Ehlers joins a Hurricanes' halfway that has reached the playoffs 7 consecutive seasons nether manager Rod Brind'Amour with 2 trips to the Eastern Conference last implicit the past 3 springs.

The six-foot, 172-pound Dane has topped 60 points 4 times successful his vocation contempt averaging conscionable 16 minutes 26 seconds of crystal clip and often lone seeing clip connected Winnipeg's 2nd power-play unit.

The Jets are coming disconnected a run that saw them seizure the Presidents' Trophy arsenic the NHL's apical regular-season team.

Winnipeg precocious to the 2nd circular of the playoffs with a melodramatic seven-game triumph implicit the St. Louis Blues earlier losing retired to the Dallas Stars 4-2.

Ehlers registered 5 goals and 2 assists successful his 8 post-season contests this spring.

He has besides suited up for Denmark astatine 5 satellite championships and 3 Olympic qualifying tournaments.

Sharks bolster blue-line with Orlov, Leddy

Elsewhere connected Thursday, Dmitry Orlov is heading to the spend-happy San Jose Sharks, who person been progressive this week and adjacent made a pickup disconnected the waiver ligament to scope the wage floor.

Orlov, who turns 34 aboriginal this month, signed a two-year declaration worthy $13 million. A Stanley Cup champion from his clip successful Washington who spent the past 2 seasons successful Carolina, the seasoned defenceman volition number $6.5 cardinal against the headdress done 2026-27.

Orlov is the latest summation for the Sharks, who needed to adhd $20 cardinal someway to get to the $70.6 cardinal minimum for subordinate salaries. That counts wealth owed to skipper Logan Couture, whose playing vocation is implicit due to the fact that of a debilitating injury.

San Jose besides claimed Nick Leddy disconnected waivers from St. Louis to adhd to its new-look bluish enactment that includes precocious signed seasoned John Klingberg, who got $4 cardinal for adjacent season.

Leddy besides has a twelvemonth near connected his declaration astatine a headdress deed of $4 million, with $3 cardinal successful existent dollars owed. Orlov is the lone experienced defenceman San Jose has signed beyond 2026.

'Canes besides adhd Burns

Brent Burns, who played alongside Orlov the past 2 seasons with the Hurricanes, agreed to presumption with Colorado connected Wednesday nighttime to a one-year declaration worthy $1 cardinal with up to $3 cardinal much attainable done show bonuses. The 40-year-old who won the Norris Trophy arsenic apical defenceman successful 2017, is acceptable to go the 23rd subordinate successful league past to play astatine slightest 22 seasons.

"I conscionable emotion it: I emotion coming to the rink each time and working," said Burns, who is 3 games shy of reaching 1,500 successful the regular play implicit his career. "It truly is the best. You're astir guys that they're chasing 1 extremity and there's conscionable thing peculiar astir it: each the laughs and the moving hard together. It's truly peculiar to effort to physique thing together, and I conscionable bask that process."