Few up-and-coming teams around the NHL have as much talent as a New Jersey Devils squad starving for playoff success. One top free agent makes sense with all the spotlight on Mitch Marner and Sam Bennett.
The New Jersey Devils are anticipated to actively seek forward talent this offseason, and they may have a compelling pitch for one of the NHL’s top players that could lead to a more favorable deal.
Nikolaj Ehlers of the Winnipeg Jets, who is set to become an unrestricted free agent, would typically command a hefty price due to his impressive record of eight seasons with 20 or more goals. However, following their second playoff appearance in three years, the Devils might be an exception.
NHL insider Elliotte Friedman mentioned that Ehlers is looking for a team with a solid chance of winning rather than just maximizing his earnings. If he’s open to taking a pay cut, the rising Devils could be an ideal match for him.
Friedman noted on Thursday’s “32 Thoughts” podcast, “Ehlers is another player I’ve heard rumors about at the NHL Scouting Combine. What I’ve gathered is that he prioritizes being in a winning environment over the financial aspect. We’ll see if that holds true, but that’s the word on him.
“While Winnipeg certainly has the potential to win, fans there know that he faces questions regarding ice time and top line opportunities. I’ve heard that having a chance to win is very important to Ehlers.”
Devils make sense as a free agent destination for Jets star Nikolaj Ehlers
Ehlers, 29, has recorded at least 61 points in each of the past two seasons with the Jets, bringing his total to four such seasons. However, as Friedman pointed out, he has averaged less than 15:52 of ice time over the last three years.
Despite his considerable talent, the former No. 9 overall draft pick has only exceeded 17 minutes of ice time per game in a season twice since beginning his NHL career in 2015.
The Devils, burdened by aging and underperforming players like Ondrej Palat and Erik Haula, would greatly benefit from adding a dynamic talent like Ehlers to their top-six forward group. Last season, Palat, Haula, and Dawson Mercer together only managed 85 points, making the addition of Ehlers a significant upgrade.
However, the Devils will likely need to trade at least one of those players to afford Ehlers’s next contract while also re-signing important roster members like Cody Glass, Luke Hughes, and Jake Allen.
Evolving-Hockey currently estimates that Ehlers’s most probable contract when he signs with a new team in free agency would be a seven-year deal with an average annual value (AAV) of $ 8.888 million.
This deal would make the 6-foot winger the highest-paid forward on the Devils. Yet, if General Manager Tom Fitzgerald—and possibly a few Devils players—can persuade Ehlers about the project they are developing, a discount of 1or 2 million could significantly help the Devils in their quest to return to the Stanley Cup Finals.
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