One of the storylines heading into the 2024 offseason was the number of players on the trading block. Although a few players have already been moved to new clubs, Nikolaj Ehlers of the Winnipeg Jets has still not found a new home. Hoping to change that, Stefen Rosner of The Hockey News reported yesterday that the Carolina Hurricanes are pushing heavily for Ehlers’ services.
Carolina’s interest comes as no surprise with the team losing Jake Guentzel, Teuvo Teravainen, and Stefan Noesen on the free-agent market in only a week. Acquiring a player of Ehlers' caliber could help soften the blow for the Hurricanes as they look to continue their dominance in the NHL’s Metropolitan Division during the regular season. Carolina would also present a natural trade partner for Winnipeg as they have a change-of-scenery candidate, as well.
The likelihood of Carolina moving on from forward Martin Necas has certainly dissipated over the last several days as the Hurricanes may be better served by signing the restricted free agent to contract with the amount of depth they lost up front. However, if Carolina is still looking to trade Necas, a one-for-one swap with the Jets might make the most sense. Assuming that both players are willing to discuss an extension as a part of the deal — a trade involving Ehlers for Necas might be the easiest path forward for both sides.
Ehlers' style of play would fit seamlessly in Carolina as he has one of the better possession games in the league. Throughout his tenure in Winnipeg dating back to the 2015-16 NHL season, Ehlers has scored 201 goals and 457 points in 605 games while averaging a CorsiFor percentage of 57.6 over that stretch. The biggest criticism of Ehlers’ game, and simultaneously for the Hurricanes, is his lack of performance during the postseason as he’s only scored four goals and 14 points in 37 playoff contests.
More must-reads: