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The Winnipeg Jets surprised many and won the Central Division last season. They were quickly eliminated by the Colorado Avalanche. The Jets need to make massive improvements to make a run in 2024-25. Forward Nikolaj Ehlers is on an expiring contract and is a trade candidate this season. They must deal Ehlers before the season starts to improve their team.
Ehlers has scored 20 goals in seven of his nine seasons with the Jets and would fetch a massive trade package. A deal would likely make the 2024-25 Jets worse but make the future teams better. They traded top prospect Rutger McGroarty, after he requested it, to the Penguins for prospect Brayden Yager. They can surround Yager with great talent by dealing Ehlers.
The Jets signed center Mark Schiefele and goalie Connor Hellebuyck to long-term extensions before last season, which was surprising to many. This means that they do not have much cap space to give Ehlers. There are also reports about attendance and money concerns that could lead to business decisions taking precedence over hockey decisions.
His impending free agency expands the number of teams that Ehlers could be traded to. A team could take a Juan Soto-like deal and risk Ehlers leaving at the end of the season. Some teams do not like to make trades without extensions, driving prices up and making deals harder.
Where could Ehlers land before the season begins? And if the trade does not happen during training camp, will the trade happen at the trade deadline this winter?
Potential landing spots for Jets forward Nikolaj Ehlers
The New York Rangers won the President's Trophy as the top team in the league last season but lost before the Cup Final again. While Artemi Panarin is one of the elite wingers in the league, extra scoring is never a bad thing. This deal would need to have salary going the other way and there could be a bizarre reunion brewing.
Rangers captain Jacob Trouba is firmly on the trade block after a brutal 2024 playoff performance. His recent comments to ESPN's Greg Wyshynski show that he knows his time is coming to an end. While the end of this season is likely the end of the road, he could be the piece that goes to Winnipeg in this deal. Trouba started his career with the Jets. Add a first-round pick and prospect Noah Laba and this deal is done.
Their archrival New York Islanders should be in the Ehlers discussion. Lou Lamoriello has made multiple moves for forwards in his tenure as general manager, including Bo Horvat and Kyle Palmieri. They should send Palmieri and Oliver Wahlstrom along with a draft pick to make this deal work. That's a similar package to the one that landed them Horvat in 2023.
The Seattle Kraken should make a move to add a star to their roster. As they still try and grab the fans' attention in their new city, they lack a marketable star. A goal-scoring winger is exactly what they need and the deal could be easy to make. Oliver Bjorkstrand is a similar player but has an extra year of term to help stabilize Winnipeg's cap. A first-round pick and third-rounder will head that way as well.
No matter where Ehlers goes, the Jets should trade him before he walks for free. Free agency is a fickle thing in the NHL and Winnipeg has not been a desirable location for free agents in the past. If he walks for free, it will be tough for the Jets to rebuild. Getting a few assets for him will create a stronger pipeline to take advantage of Hellebuyck's greatness.
