Subscribe
Follow Us
The New York Islanders have not advanced in the playoffs since 2021 largely because of their lackluster offense. General manager Lou Lamoriello has made improvements to the forward unit, like Bo Horvat and Maxim Tsyplakov, but they could use more. The 2024-25 Islanders would improve by making a trade for Winnipeg Jets forward Nikolaj Ehlers.
The Winnipeg Jets had a surprising division championship season last year but were eliminated in the first round. After signing Mark Schiefele and Connor Hellebuyck to long-term deals, there is not much flexibility to improve their team. Ehlers will be an unrestricted free agent at the end of this season and should be dealt before then.
The key to making this move is Ehlers' willingness to sign an extension with the Islanders. Lamoriello has said in the past that he does not like trading for players as pure rentals. JG Pageau, Kyle Palmieri, and Horvat all signed long-term deals almost immediately after landing on Long Island.
Ehlers' next deal, with the Islanders or not, should be worth over $8 million per season. He has seven 20-goal seasons in his nine-year career and has done most of it on a team-friendly $6 million deal. While the Jets could pay for their homegrown player, recent reports have hinted at financial issues and a murky future in Manitoba. They should trade Ehlers to re-stock their prospect pipeline and set the team up for a successful future.
The Islanders have two big contracts coming off the books this year in Brock Nelson and Palmieri. Their combined $11 million cap charge will be available, plus however much the cap goes up this offseason. If they do not resign either veteran, they will be able to afford Ehlers comfortably.
Islanders' trade packages for Nikolaj Ehlers
The Islanders have no cap space remaining for the 2024-25 season, so pieces will have to go out to make this trade work. Palmieri makes the most sense in terms of position and cap hit. Palmieri is due $1 million less than Ehlers is for this season and also plays wing, so he will help the Jets. While the cap will have to be massaged to make this work, it's a great start.
Ehlers is younger and a more dynamic goal-scorer than Palmieri, so there will have to be draft picks and prospects involved as well. The Islanders' 2025 first-rounder will have to go along because they do not have top-end prospect talent. While the Jets do have Brayden Yager as their top prospect, they would love to add more in the first round.
If a prospect joins the deal, expect Oliver Wahlstrom to head the other way. He is not technically a prospect anymore, as he has played many NHL games, but is a very raw product. Due $1 million this season, it would solve the cap situation and give the Jets a boom-or-bust aspect of the deal.
This trade is very similar to the package that landed Horvat in 2023. Anthony Beauvillier, a proven NHLer, Aatu Raty, a boom-or-bust prospect, and a first-rounder was the price then. While Palmieri, Wahlstrom, and a first is a very rich price, it would be worth it for the Islanders to make the trade. They need elite scoring on the wings and Ehlers provides that. At just 29 years old, he will be a part of the core for a long time.
