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The Carolina Hurricanes have landed their next star. The Hurricanes have signed Nikolaj Ehlers to a six-year contract worth $51 million. This was the last big-time free agent domino to fall, and the Canes may have hit the jackpot with their new signing.
The Hurricanes last won the Stanley Cup in 2006, but have been a franchise on the cusp of glory multiple times since. They have been to the playoffs each of the last seven seasons, falling in the Eastern Conference Final three times. Further, they have won their division three times in that time span, while sitting second each of the last two years. The Canes have already made moves this offseason, bringing back Logan Stankoven and Eric Robinson. While the team lost Brent Burns, they also acquired K'Andre Miller to guard the blueline. Now, they have $10 million in cap space remaining and have brought in one of the best free agents on the market with Ehlers.
Ehlers was the ninth overall pick in the 2014 draft by the Winnipeg Jets. The Dane would join the Jets in the 2015-16 season after spending time with the Halifax Mooseheads. In his first year, he would play 73 games, scoring 15 goals and adding 23 assists. Since then, he has been an amazing goal scorer. He has scored 20 goals in eight of the last nine seasons. Further, he has scored over 60 points in each of the last two campaigns. Ehlers was dominant on the powerplay this last year. While he played in just 69 games, he had a career high in points, powerplay points, and powerplay assists. This past year, he had 22 points on the powerplay, a career high.
The Carolina Hurricanes get another star forward
The Hurricanes needed a big-time playmaker to join Sebastian Aho. They had a great option with Martin Necas, but he was not quite the playmaker the Canes were looking for. So they traded him in a deal for Mikko Rantanen. Still, the stay for the forward would be short-lived. Rantanen would be traded to the Dallas Stars, and the Canes would be left with draft capital, plus Stankoven. Now, they have made a move for a star forward who wants to be with the franchise.
Ehlers provides a lot for the Hurricanes. They needed speed on the wing, and that is what they got with the Danish forward. Further, they needed a playmaker. Over the past two seasons, Ehlers has proven to be that. He has scored over 60 points four times in his career, including each of the last two seasons. When he has played 70 or more games, he has scored 58 or more points in each season with the exception of his rookie year. The total of 58 points would have placed him third on the Hurricanes this year. Carolina is a team built on depth, with four players scoring 20 or more goals, and five players have 45 or more points. Ehlers regularly eclipses both of those marks.
Further, Carolina has been a team built on defense. They have been in the top 10 in goals against each of the last seven seasons. Meanwhile, Ehlers has improved his defense over the course of his career. While he did struggle in takeaways this year, he had one of his highest totals in hits and shots blocked of his career this past season. Ehlers is becoming more of a two-way forward, which, added to his offensive capability, makes him a perfect fit in Carolina.
Final thoughts and grade on the Nikolaj Ehlers contract
Ehlers got an $8.5 million contract per year to sign in Carolina. It makes him the second-highest paid player on the team behind Sebastian Aho. There is the possibility that Carolina overpaid slightly for Ehlers. With the notion of efficiency at $100,000 per point, an $8.5 million contract should net 85 points per season. This is a mark that Ehlers has never reached in his career. He has also never been on the level of offense as the Hurricanes, nor been with a playmaker like Aho. Still, his powerplay numbers and growing defensive ability also make up for the lack of point production.
Meanwhile, Carolina needs a playmaker. They traded away Necas to make this happen. Last season, Necas totalled 83 points, but that was a career high. Necas has an average of 60.62 points per 82 games in his NHL career. Ehlers has averaged 63.26 points per 82 games in his career. This is a small upgrade over Necas. Also, Ehlers was playing on some bad teams with the Jets back in the day, while Necas played with a perennial contender. Considering the swing and miss in the Rantanen trade, plus the fact that the Canes have brought in Stankoven, this is a solid swap of talent.
For Ehlers, he grabbed a great contract. The Tampa Bay Lightning and Washington Capitals were both interested in his services. Ehlers had his pick of Eastern Conference contenders going into this process. He chose Carolina. If the Canes can raise the Cup, no one will question this move. If they cannot get past Florida, people will still consider the move for Rantanen as a major turning point in why Carolina has not gotten over the hump. Regardless, the signing is perfect for Carolina. They lose some points for slight overpayment of the star forward, but considering the competition, this was a must. Ehlers is off to Raleigh and now hopes to be hoisting Lord Stanley for the first time next spring.
Carolina Hurricanes Grade: A-
Nikolaj Ehlers' Grade: A
