Forward Nikolaj Ehlers was the last big fish on the National Hockey League’s free agent market.
In the end, he waited until two days after the market opened to decide on his new destination: the Carolina Hurricanes, with whom he signed a six-year deal worth $8.5 million annually.
It was expected that Ehlers would choose Carolina, but the former Winnipeg Jets player took the time to consider every option on the table.
And let’s just say that the 29-year-old Dane did well to take his time, because contract offers, well, he was in over his head.
Indeed, Ehlers’ own agent, Andy Rufener, said that he and his client had been in contact with some twenty NHL teams.
Twenty teams wanted to sign Nikolaj Ehlers https://t.co/cvbtEbY45n
– SwissHabs (@SwissHabs) July 5, 2025
Yes, yes, you read that right, around two-thirds of the league’s teams were reportedly trying to get their hands on Ehlers.
That’s what the Dane’s agent said in an interview with the Journal de Jura.
The former Winnipeg Jets forward was therefore spoilt for choice, and had the luxury of signing with the team he was most interested in.
In the end, all the better for Ehlers, but the most important thing to remember about this information is that the market is extremely thin in the NHL right now.
For there to be around 20 teams ready to sign Nikolaj Ehlers speaks volumes, and that’s with all due respect to Ehlers, who is an excellent hockey player.
But the fact remains that, for all his talent, he’s a forward who struggles to stay healthy, and has never reached the 70-point plateau.
8.5 million per season is a lot, and it’s less than some other offers, according to Ehlers’ agent, given that money wasn’t the most important thing for the 29-year-old Dane.
What this tells us, then, is that virtually every NHL team was looking to improve significantly this off-season, even though the market is very weak.
This makes free agent signings and even transactions very difficult, because no one wants to part with their good players, and everyone wants to go out and find good players.
This explains in part why Kent Hughes, who has surely worked very hard in spite of it all, hasn’t been able to improve his top-6 forward position so far.
Options are VERY limited, and those that are possible and available are already being monitored by several other teams.
So, yes, we can criticize Kent Hughes regarding the Habs’ top-6, which still lacks a reliable second center, but in the end, the current NHL market has a lot to do with it.
Let’s hope Hughes pulls a rabbit out of his hat, or that Kirby Dach manages to pilot the second line.
– The Panthers are clearly still the favorites.
– Spector’s Hockey (@SpectorsHockey) July 5, 2025
– Read more.
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– Radio-Canada Sports (@RC_Sports) July 5, 2025
– To listen to for those interested.
My 98.5 fm interview on Messi coming to Montreal | “It’s like he’s playing chess and we’re playing checkers” – 98.5 Montréal
You can applaud Messi but support the club in your city, your province. https://t.co/7dYa9XmhHs
– Patrice Bernier (@pbernier10) July 5, 2025
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