Nikolaj Ehlers just wanted a fresh start. After spending his entire career with the Winnipeg Jets, the star forward signed a six-year, $51-million contract with the Carolina Hurricanes on Thursday.

There was nothing the Winnipeg Jets could say or do to ensure Nikolaj Ehlers remained in Navy blue for life. “(My leaving Winnipeg) was inevitable,” Ehlers said on a Saturday morning Zoom call. “I told (Jets management),

Ehlers and the Carolina Hurricanes agreed to a six-year, $51 million contract in free agency on Friday, per Stephen Whyno of the Associated Press. The 29-year-old hit free agency after his previous seven-year, $42 million contract with the Jets expired following the 2024-25 season.