Nikolaj Ehlers chooses the Carolina Hurricanes, taking the NHL's top free agent off the market
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Edmonton Journal
3 hours ago
- Edmonton Journal
Is this far too early for Edmonton Oilers forward line & D-pairing projections?
If the NHL regular season started tomorrow, how would Edmonton Oilers Head Coach Kris Knoblauch deploy his lineup? Article content I am getting a bit ahead of myself. Lots of Summer remains. Training camp will decide a few things. And that stretch from the start of the regular season through American Thanksgiving will really separate the wheat from the chaff. Article content Article content Article content Ekholm – Bouchard Article content Nurse – Walman Article content Kulak – Emberson Article content Skinner – Pickard Article content -Call this the 'traditional' lineup, if you will. You know you can rely on that first line. Podkolzin meshes well with Draisaitl who also seems to like playing with him. Mangiapane should be an effective 'give & go' guy with Leon. The third line puts Savoie with two veterans, both responsible defensively, and Frederic with the size. Line four is a 'checking' line with some grit and decent speed on the wings. Pairings are 'most predictable'. Predictable? Sure. Article content Scenario 2 – Article content Henrique – McDavid – Hyman Article content Nugent-Hopkins – Draisaitl – Savoie Article content Podkolzin – Frederic – Mangiapane Article content Janmark – Philp – Kapanen Article content Ekholm – Bouchard Article content Nurse – Stecher Article content Article content Kulak – Walman Article content Skinner – Pickard Article content -Adam Henrique is a very smart player who should be able to think with McDavid, Hyman is the forechecker and all three can score. This puts Savoie in an even better opportunity to be an offensive contributor and still with two vets for shelter. Frederic will get a shot at Center, this trio would forecheck like a damn, with Mangiapane the finisher. Line four is subbing Philp for Lazar, maybe a training camp result. Nurse pairs with a guy he has a reasonable history with. And that would be one of the best third pairings in hockey. Article content Scenario 3 – Article content Draisaitl – McDavid – Hyman Article content Frederic – Nugent-Hopkins – Mangiapane Article content Podkolzin – Henrique – Savoie Article content Kapanen – Tomasek – Jones Article content Ekholm – Bouchard Article content Nurse – Kulak Article content Walman – Emberson Article content Pickard – Skinner Article content -This is the 'nuclear' option. Some love it, some hate it. But it is a load to handle for most teams. This moves Nuge back into the middle where he was effective during the playoffs, and with two truculent wingers. Savoie again gets two vets but in an even more sheltered situation. Jones as your 13-14F would likely see some action here. Maybe Tomasek slots in higher but lets start him here. Kulak proved he can play his off-side, and I do think Emberson will get a long look. I put Calvin Pickard first in case the starter falters, but not because I hope he does
National Post
7 hours ago
- National Post
Better late than never for Aidan Park, drafted second last by Oilers
He's not exactly this year's version of the NHL's Mr. Irrelevant, but he could certainly see it from here. Article content And irrelevant is about the last word Aidan Park would use to describe the past week since getting selected by the Edmonton Oilers with the 223rd out of 224 picks in last week's 2025 NHL entry draft. Article content Article content It's not every late pick who can be there to experience the moment first hand, even if it came around the same time as the staff of Los Angeles' Peacock Theatre was sweeping up the discarded cups in the aisles. Article content But it didn't hurt having the proceedings held a short drive from his hometown of Hermosa Beach, meaning he could also have friends and family in attendance for his big moment. Even if it meant having to wait until the bitter end. Article content Not nearly as bitter as the previous year, however, which saw Park go undrafted as his dreams of one day following in the footsteps of his uncle and former NHLer Richard Park took a serious hit. Article content It turns out it was just a pit stop on his path to the pros, even if it meant waiting for another 222 names to get called first. Article content 'I went to the draft as Ryker Lee's guest, he was my roommate at Shattuck,' Park said of his former teammate with USHS-Prep Shattuck St. Mary's, who ended up getting taken in the first round (26th overall) by the Nashville Predators a day earlier. 'He got picked Night 1, and then next morning, Nashville flew him out on a private jet. I was going to hang out with him that day. Article content 'But he left me his extra tickets and I just went to the draft with some buddies, not really expecting anything. And then I just happened to get picked there at the end, which was a special moment, for sure.' Article content Article content Article content 'Last year in the draft, I didn't get drafted, which was a huge disappointment,' Park said. 'I kind of expected to more last year, so he kind of helped me realize that I had to take a step back and look at the big picture. Article content 'There's a lot of ways to make it: There's next year in the draft, there's college and signing as free agents, and I had to just keep my head down and keep working. Just give my best effort and see what happens.' Article content What happened was he found himself back on his initial track, and with a bright future as he prepares to move on from the Green Bay Gamblers of the United States Hockey League and join one of the NCAA's premier hockey programs at the University of Michigan. Article content 'Green Bay was awesome. Coaches, teammates, they were all amazing. Super supportive and the coaches really helped me grow my game a lot there,' said the 19-year-old forward, who had 66 points (33 goals, 33 assists) in 55 games. 'And then off to the University of Michigan this fall, and I'm super excited for that.
Globe and Mail
7 hours ago
- Globe and Mail
Nikolaj Ehlers signs six-year, $51-million contract with Carolina Hurricanes
The long wait for Nikolaj Ehlers' free agent decision is over. Ehlers decided Thursday to sign with the Carolina Hurricanes, taking the top player available off the market more than 72 hours since the NHL's signing period began. Ehlers agreed to terms on a six-year, US$51-million contract. He'll count US$8.5-million against the salary cap through 2031. He's coming off being nearly a point-a-game player with 63 in 69. 'Nikolaj was the top free agent available on July 1, and we are proud that he's chosen to make Carolina his home,' general manager Eric Tulsky said. 'He's a highly skilled winger who can really skate and will fit very well with our forward group.' It turned out to be worth the wait for the speedy 29-year-old winger from Denmark who played his first 10 seasons with Winnipeg. Ehlers' contract is the most lucrative of any signed by an unrestricted free agent who left his team this week and $250,000 more than Brock Boeser got to re-sign with Vancouver. The only bigger contracts have been K'Andre Miller's eight years and US$60-million – also with Carolina in a sign and trade from the New York Rangers – and Ivan Provorov staying with Columbus for US$59.5-million over the next seven seasons. 'From first-round pick to the highest-scoring Danish player in NHL history, and all the countless memories in between, thank you for everything, Fly,' the Jets posted on social media. 'All the best in Carolina.' Ehlers joins a core that has reached the playoffs seven consecutive seasons under coach Rod Brind'Amour with two trips to the Eastern Conference final over the past three springs. Carolina still has US$10-million in cap space with just about a full roster, providing flexibility to fill holes between now and the trade deadline in March. Signing Ehlers could start dominos falling around the league as teams who did not get him – among them, the Washington Capitals – turn to backup plans. That includes potential trades, with Pittsburgh actively in selling mode, along with remaining free agents. The Capitals pivoted nearly immediately to bringing back winger Anthony Beauvillier on a two-year, US$5.5-million deal. Elsewhere on Thursday, Dmitry Orlov is heading to the spend-happy San Jose Sharks, who have been active this week and even made a pickup off the waiver wire to reach the salary floor. Orlov, who turns 34 later this month, signed a two-year contract worth US$13-million. A Stanley Cup champion from his time in Washington who spent the past two seasons in Carolina, the veteran defenceman will count US$6.5-million against the cap through 2026-27. Orlov is the latest addition for the Sharks, who needed to add US$20-million somehow to get to the US$70.6-million minimum for player salaries. That counts money owed to captain Logan Couture, whose playing career is over because of a debilitating injury. San Jose also claimed Nick Leddy off waivers from St. Louis to add to its new-look blue line that includes recently signed veteran John Klingberg, who got US$4-million for next season. 'Klingberg was someone we had targeted for a little while now,' general manager Mike Grier said earlier this week. 'We need someone who can run a power play. We think, as he showed he was getting healthier and healthier this year and another year out from his hip [surgery], I think he'll be even better' Leddy also has a year left on his contract at a cap hit of US$4-million, with US$3-million in actual dollars owed. Orlov is the only experienced defenceman San Jose has signed beyond 2026. Brent Burns, who played alongside Orlov the past two seasons with the Hurricanes, agreed to terms with Colorado on Wednesday night to a one-year contract worth US$1-million with up to US$3-million more attainable through performance bonuses. The 40-year-old, who won the Norris Trophy as top defenceman in 2017, is set to become the 23rd player in league history to play at least 22 seasons. 'I just love it: I love coming to the rink every day and working,' said Burns, who is three games shy of reaching 1,500 in the regular season over his career. 'It really is the best. You're around guys that they're chasing one goal and there's just something special about it: all the laughs and the working hard together. It's really special to try to build something together, and I just enjoy that process.'
