Nikolaj Ehlers was a source of fascination for many years in Winnipeg.
The Jets’ usage of the dynamic winger at times seemed illogical. Case in point: Ehlers finished last season third on the team in scoring but ninth among forwards in five-on-five ice time per game behind the likes of Mason Appleton, Nino Niederreiter and Vladislav Namestnikov.
So when Ehlers left Winnipeg for the Carolina Hurricanes last summer, he sensed an opportunity to play a more meaningful role for one of the NHL’s best teams.
“I’ve never said I wanted to play on the first line,” Ehlers, who signed a six-year, $51 million deal in free agency, told The Athletic earlier this season. “I’ve never said I wanted to play a certain amount of minutes and stuff like that. But you pay me to be an important, key guy on the team, and I want to be out there for the key situations.”
Carolina has held up its end of the bargain, as Ehlers has helped the franchise achieve something never before done in league history. The Hurricanes pulled off sweeps of the Ottawa Senators and Philadelphia Flyers, making them the first team since all four rounds of the playoffs became best-of-seven series in 1987 to start 8-0. (The league record for the longest playoff-opening winning streak belongs to the 1985 Edmonton Oilers, who won nine in a row on their way to winning the Stanley Cup.)
Ehlers’ offensive numbers in the playoffs (two goals and four points in seven games) do not pop off the page. But he has pushed the puck up ice at an astounding rate, ranking second out of 194 forwards who have played in at least four playoff games in possession-driving plays per 60 minutes. Only Ottawa’s Tim Stützle sits ahead of Ehlers. In addition, Ehlers has executed the most slot-driving plays (carries and passes) per 60 minutes among qualified forwards.
The Hurricanes, known more for their forechecking prowess, have developed into a dangerous rush team in recent years, which suits Ehler’s skill set. They scored a league-leading 78 rush goals in the regular season — seven more than the next-closest team — and share the playoff lead with seven rush goals.
Initially, Hurricanes coach Rod Brind’Amour paired Ehlers with No. 1 centre Sebastian Aho. Ehlers also spent time flanking Logan Stankoven on the second line, but around the midway point of the regular season, Brind’Amour put Ehlers on Jordan Staal and Jordan Martinook’s line.
On the surface, it looks like a clash of styles; Staal and Martinook are not finesse players. But they and Ehlers have formed a successful partnership. The Hurricanes’ third line has levelled up in the playoffs, generating 59.1 per cent of the expected goals at five-on-five (xGF%) in 58:51 of ice time.
Ehlers, Staal and Martinook posted a 55.8 xGF% during the regular season.
Most impressively, Carolina’s shutdown unit has dictated play and been on the ice for two goals against — one in each series — despite starting only 24.7 per cent of its even-strength shifts in the offensive zone.
“There’s so many times where we’re getting out of the (defensive) zone, but instead of maybe making a couple passes to get in there, (Ehlers) just carries it and can create so much space with the way that he skates,” Martinook told reporters. “Me and (Staal), we want him to have the puck as much as possible, but when we can get in on the forecheck and try and get him to have his space, it’s something that’s a benefit for us.”
Ehler’s breakaway goal in Game 3 of the Flyers series was an excellent demonstration of how Ehler’s, Staal’s and Martinook’s skills come together to produce results. Staal won a defensive-zone faceoff against Philadelphia’s Christian Dvorak, which led to Hurricanes defenceman K’Andre Miller flipping the puck into the neutral zone. Martinook beat two Flyers players to the puck, and the speedy Ehlers did the rest.
“(Staal and Martinook) work their (butts) off,” Ehlers told reporters. “They create a lot of room, a lot of space for me to use my speed and get into the open areas.”
Over 10 seasons in Winnipeg, Ehlers was part of some successful teams, including the 2024-25 Presidents’ Trophy winners. But he reached the conference finals just once (2018). The Jets, meanwhile, failed to adequately replace Ehlers, which contributed to their 26th-place finish this season.
“I believed that this team had the pieces to keep competing in the playoffs,” Ehlers told reporters. “And I wanted to be a part of that. And now being here for my first full season, I know I was right.”
