Nikolaj Ehlers Sidelined With Lower-Body Injury

As the Hurricanes look to finish off their opening-round series in Ottawa today, they’re doing so without one of their better wingers.  Prior to today’s game, the team announced (Twitter link) that winger Nikolaj Ehlers was not in the lineup due to a lower-body injury.  The team did not indicate how long he may be out for.

Ehlers is in his first season with Carolina after signing a six-year, $51MM contract on the third day of free agency last summer.  The Hurricanes have long coveted impactful free agents and were able to get one with this big offer.

The 30-year-old was an impactful player for the Hurricanes this season.  With 26 goals and 45 assists, he finished second on the team in scoring and set new career highs in assists and points despite not getting a big uptick in playing time.  When he left Winnipeg, part of his concern was a lack of top-line minutes but Ehlers only saw his ice time go up by 48 seconds per game, from 15:48 to 16:36.

After Ehlers performed well last spring in the playoffs for the Jets, the Hurricanes were undoubtedly hoping that he’d give them a boost this postseason.  That didn’t happen through the first three games as Ehlers has been limited to just one assist although it’s unclear if this lower-body issue is something that has been lingering and affecting his play.

With Ehlers out of the lineup, Carolina moved William Carrier into his spot on the third line.  Meanwhile, they turned to veteran winger Nicolas Deslauriers to fill the lineup vacancy, giving him his first playoff appearance since 2022 when he was with Minnesota.