Winnipeg Jets Sign Nikolaj Ehlers to 7-Year Extension
By Ian Reid
The Winnipeg Jets joined other teams in locking up core pieces before the puck officially drops on the 2017-18 season.
The Winnipeg Jets locked up forward Nikolaj Ehlers with a 7-year contract extension worth $42 million. The deal will carry a $6 million AAV and kicks in for the 2018-19 season. Ehlers, 21, was the ninth overall pick in the 2014 NHL Draft. He was a dynamic scorer for the Halifax Mooseheads of the QMJHL. Ehlers put up two seasons of scoring more than 100 points with them before making the jump to pro hockey.
In his two years of NHL experience, he has scored 40 goals and 62 assists for 102 points. The majority of which came last year in his break out season, when he scored 25 goals and put up 39 assists. Ehlers spent most of the season last year playing with Mark Scheifele and Blake Wheeler. He also played alongside Bryan Little and Patrik Laine for a great deal of time as well.
Starting this season, Ehlers appears to be slated for the second line of a very potent top six for the Jets. He is projected to play with Little and Laine, along with appearing on the first power-play unit. Ehlers is a player with plenty of potential to grow will get the all-important opportunities to do so.
With a lot of teams paying for potential rather than what a player has actually done, this price point puts Ehlers in good company. His cap hit and production are on par with other players making similar money. These players include Brandon Saad, Jonathan Drouin, and Alexander Barkov. Ehlers should continue to grow, just as he did last season.
For the Jets, it keeps their costs down as it is less than the money being paid to Scheifele. With a significant payday for the Patrik Laine an inevitability, the deal should allow the Jets to keep their young core together for a long time. It’s always good to sign a young forward just before their breakout season. The CBA didn’t let the Jets do this, but they still did it at a very wise time.
Here is the Jets expected lineup for their opening night action:
Mathieu Perreault – Mark Scheifele – Blake Wheeler
Nikolaj Ehlers – Bryan Little – Patrik Laine
Shawn Matthias – Adam Lowry – Joel Armia
Marko Dano – Andrew Copp – Brandon Tanev
Josh Morrissey – Jacob Trouba
Toby Enstrom – Dustin Byfuglien
Dmitry Kulikov – Tyler Myers
Line up courtesy of DailyFaceoff.com
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Ehlers is an important part of the Jets moving forward. They did well to extend him at a remarkably appropriate price. Of course, the Jets are banking on Ehlers continuing to grow. But that’s the way NHL contracts work. And Ehlers should continue to blossom into one of the NHL’s most productive wings.