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New York Times
05-07-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Nikolaj Ehlers excited for fresh start with Hurricanes, calls Jets exit ‘very emotional'
New Carolina Hurricanes forward Nikolaj Ehlers called his exit from Winnipeg 'very emotional' during his introduction Saturday in a joint call with general manager Eric Tulsky. Ehlers, who finalized his decision to sign with the Hurricanes on Thursday, spent the first three days of free agency mulling over options from multiple teams. On Friday, he called Jets coach Scott Arniel, GM Kevin Cheveldayoff and True North chairman Mark Chipman to explain why he left Winnipeg after 10 seasons. Advertisement 'I had a lot of thank-yous I needed to get out because these guys and that organization (are) top notch,' Ehlers said Saturday. 'I told them why I made the decision that I made, and they obviously respected it and were happy for me.' Ehlers was long expected to test free agency, but the reasons for his departure were unclear. He hadn't had an exit interview with Jets media, and instead flew to Europe to play for Denmark at the World Championships after Winnipeg lost to Dallas in round two of the Stanley Cup playoffs. There were reports that Ehlers wanted to play in a 'quiet' market and concerns that Winnipeg pushed him away by limiting his minutes. On Saturday, he finally had the chance to speak for himself. 'I told (the Jets) they didn't do anything wrong,' Ehlers said. 'I loved it there. I love the organization, the people in it, the guys. They became family. The city of Winnipeg, the fans, everyone that's played in Winnipeg knows how incredible it is to play there. For me, it was more about trying something new and challenging myself.' Ehlers also denied that his decision had to do with escaping the pressures of Canadian media. 'I wouldn't put it that way. Like I said, I've been in Winnipeg for 10 years, and I don't think I ever was in any way bad during the media. Or I hope you guys didn't feel like I didn't like you guys because I had a great relationship with every one of you.' Ehlers framed his decision to join Carolina over a long list of suitors as a decision about his future, saying he'd studied the Hurricanes roster and is excited by its talent and its youth. He's close friends with Hurricanes goaltender Frederik Andersen and admires Carolina's style of play. Tulksy praised Ehlers' speed and creativity, stressing that Ehlers had multiple teams interested in him. Advertisement 'If he just wanted the most money he could have gotten, he could have gotten more for sure,' Tulsky said. 'My understanding is he was looking for the place that felt like the right fit, where he'd be happy, where he'd have a chance to win — and it turns into a recruiting pitch. It's a personal decision what feels right to him.' There's a perception that Carolina is filled with elite forecheckers but unable to deliver offence in critical moments. The Hurricanes wanted to add the 29-year-old Ehlers' dynamic offensive ability; he's consistently rated as one of the top points-per-minute players in the NHL, playing a fast, creative, and sometimes unpredictable style. 'He is incredibly fast and dynamic with the puck,' Tulsky said. 'He'll bring creativity to our game. We have the puck as much as any team in the league, and the more we can turn that into premium scoring chances, the better off we'll be. Nikolaj is the kind of player who can create scoring chances out of nothing. That's the sort of thing that you layer on to what we've already built, and it can help take us to the next level.' It's a conclusion that Ehlers reached after extensive conversations with Tulsky and coach Rod Brind'Amour — and it's a win for Carolina's recruitment team. The Hurricanes finished 10th in the regular season, losing to the eventual Stanley Cup champions in the second round of the playoffs. They were unable to retain star forward Mikko Rantanen after acquiring him from Colorado for Martin Necas before the trade deadline. The Hurricanes signed Logan Stankoven, whom they acquired from Dallas for Rantanen, to an eight-year contract, but adding Ehlers is still a sizable victory for the team. Carolina has ample cap space ($10.6 million) even after signing Ehlers, and star players Andrei Svechnikov, Sebastian Aho and Seth Jarvis are in their 20s. Ehlers said he admires the fast, aggressive way Carolina plays, and he can add to it with his speed. Ehlers 6 year $8.5M Cap Hit #CauseChaos: Yr 1 1M Base & 9M Signing BonusYr 2 1M & 9M SBYr 3 1M & 7.5M SBYr 4 1M & 6.75M SBYr 5 1M & 6.5M SBYr 6 1M & 6.25M SB Year 1/2 No Move Clause, Yr 3/4 No Trade, Yr 5/6 10 Team No Trade List Rep'd by Rufenerhttps:// — PuckPedia (@PuckPedia) July 4, 2025 'The stress game that Carolina plays in the sense when they don't have the puck, trying to get the puck back as quick as possible … I think with my speed I'm able to do that,' Ehlers said. 'I can create a lot of room for the other guys as well. I believe that I will fit in very nicely.' In the end, Ehlers made a point of celebrating the relationship he had with Winnipeg while emphasizing his excitement at a fresh start. Advertisement After being injured in an accidental collision with a linesman shortly before the Jets' playoffs, he acknowledged there was a chance he wouldn't compete in the postseason, but he was able to return 'two or three weeks quicker' than his initial prognosis. Ehlers said looking back has made him grateful for the opportunity to play for Jets fans after his injury. 'It wasn't something I was thinking about during the season or during the playoffs,' Ehlers said. 'It sunk in sometime after. And that Game 7 against St. Louis is, I believe, one of the craziest games in Winnipeg hockey history. I'll definitely never forget about that one.' Ehlers called playing playoff hockey in Winnipeg, where thousands of fans gathered outside of Canada Life Centre, some of his fondest memories. 'That's what gives you the extra energy, and I believe that they've built something similar to that in Carolina, so I'm excited to feel that.'
Yahoo
04-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Jonathan Toews is grateful and excited to play again after signing with his hometown Winnipeg Jets
Winnipeg Jets head coach Scott Arniel, left, and executive vice president and general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff, right, welcome Jonathan Toews, center, to the NHL hockey team at a news conference in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Friday, July 4, 2025. (John Woods/The Canadian Press via AP) Winnipeg Jets head coach Scott Arniel, left, and executive vice president and general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff, right, welcome Jonathan Toews, center, to the NHL hockey team at a news conference in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Friday, July 4, 2025. (John Woods/The Canadian Press via AP) Winnipeg Jets head coach Scott Arniel, left, and executive vice president and general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff, right, welcome Jonathan Toews, center, to the NHL hockey team at a news conference in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Friday, July 4, 2025. (John Woods/The Canadian Press via AP) Winnipeg Jets head coach Scott Arniel, left, looks on as Jonathan Toews, right, speaks to media as he is welcomed to the NHL hockey team at a news conference in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Friday, July 4, 2025. (John Woods/The Canadian Press via AP) Winnipeg Jets executive vice president and general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff, right, and Jonathan Toews, left, laugh during a news conference held to welcome Toews to the NHL hockey team in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Friday, July 4, 2025. (John Woods/The Canadian Press via AP) Winnipeg Jets executive vice president and general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff, right, and Jonathan Toews, left, laugh during a news conference held to welcome Toews to the NHL hockey team in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Friday, July 4, 2025. (John Woods/The Canadian Press via AP) Winnipeg Jets head coach Scott Arniel, left, and executive vice president and general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff, right, welcome Jonathan Toews, center, to the NHL hockey team at a news conference in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Friday, July 4, 2025. (John Woods/The Canadian Press via AP) Winnipeg Jets head coach Scott Arniel, left, and executive vice president and general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff, right, welcome Jonathan Toews, center, to the NHL hockey team at a news conference in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Friday, July 4, 2025. (John Woods/The Canadian Press via AP) Winnipeg Jets head coach Scott Arniel, left, and executive vice president and general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff, right, welcome Jonathan Toews, center, to the NHL hockey team at a news conference in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Friday, July 4, 2025. (John Woods/The Canadian Press via AP) Winnipeg Jets head coach Scott Arniel, left, looks on as Jonathan Toews, right, speaks to media as he is welcomed to the NHL hockey team at a news conference in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Friday, July 4, 2025. (John Woods/The Canadian Press via AP) Winnipeg Jets executive vice president and general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff, right, and Jonathan Toews, left, laugh during a news conference held to welcome Toews to the NHL hockey team in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Friday, July 4, 2025. (John Woods/The Canadian Press via AP) WINNIPEG, Manitoba (AP) — Jonathan Toews is back in the NHL with his hometown Winnipeg Jets after a two-year absence. The three-time Stanley Cup champion was introduced Friday as the newest member of the Jets, donning a jersey with his signature No. 19 at a team news conference. Advertisement The Jets announced their intention to acquire the 37-year-old center last month, but it only became official this week, with Toews signing a one-year deal worth $2 million, plus performance bonuses tied to games played and playoff success. The longtime Chicago Blackhawks captain last played in April 2023. On Friday, he told reporters he was just grateful for the opportunity to return to the ice, let alone with his hometown club in front of friends and family. 'It's an honor and one that has really lit that fire again, that excitement for the game,' Toews said. 'You have these moments throughout your career where I don't want to say you get jaded, but you get used to it, and you kind of settle in. This is another moment that kind of brings me back to that new feeling like you're getting drafted again.' Advertisement Chosen one of the NHL's top 100 players from its first 100 years, Toews played 15 seasons with the Blackhawks and was one of the faces of the franchise. He also helped Canada win gold at back-to-back Olympics in 2010 and '14. Toews stepped away from hockey two years ago citing the effects of Chronic Immune Response Syndrome and long COVID-19. His exit coincided with Chicago trading fellow star Patrick Kane and going into a full-scale rebuild. Jets general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff called Toews' signing an exciting day for Winnipeg and said it's something he's been thinking about making happen for more than a decade. Cheveldayoff, an assistant GM in Chicago when Toews and the Blackhawks won the 2010 Stanley Cup, said that when he joined the Jets the following year, he and team co-owner Mark Chipman mused about the possibility of seeing Toews in a Winnipeg jersey one day. Advertisement 'At that point in time it was merely a dream or a concept,' Cheveldayoff said. 'Last week, when we finalized everything, I sent Mark a text, and it said 'Toews is a Jet.' It was an emotional feeling.' 'One of the most decorated hockey players in Manitoba history is coming home.' Toews is joining a Jets team that's coming off a Presidents' Trophy-winning season as the NHL's top regular-season club. Earlier this week, Winnipeg lost a key offensive piece when winger Nikolaj Ehlers signed a six-year deal with the Carolina Hurricanes. ___ AP NHL:
CTV News
04-07-2025
- Sport
- CTV News
Jonathan Toews speaking at news conference after return to Winnipeg announced
New Winnipeg Jets forward Jonathan Toews is scheduled to speak at a news conference on Friday afternoon -- two weeks after it was announced that he's heading home. Toews, along with Jets' general manager Kevin Chevaldayoff and head coach Scott Arniel will be speaking to the media at 1 p.m. at Canada Life Centre. CTV News Winnipeg will live-stream the event. CTV News previously reported the Winnipeg-born hockey star would be signing with the Jets for a one-year deal for the 2025-26 season. Toews, 37, has not played in the NHL since 2023 due to health concerns linked to long COVID and chronic immune response syndrome. Prior to the Jets, Toews played with the Chicago Blackhawks from 2007 to 2023, winning three Stanley Cups with the team. - With files from CTV's Charles Lefebvre.
Yahoo
07-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Washington Capitals' Spencer Carbery named winner of Jack Adams Award
NEW YORK — Spencer Carbery of the Washington Capitals captured the Jack Adams Award on Saturday as the NHL's top coach. Carbery was the runaway winner with 81 first-place votes and 464 points as selected by the NHL Broadcasters' Association. Scott Arniel of the Winnipeg Jets was second with 249 points while Martin St. Louis of the Montreal Canadiens was third with 66 points. Advertisement Carbery becomes the fourth Washington coach to claim the award but the first individual to claim coach-of-the-year honours at the ECHL, AHL and NHL levels. Carbery led Washington (51-22-9, 111 points) to second in the NHLs overall standings and the top seed in the Eastern Conference for the first time since 2016-17. Arniel guided Winnipeg (56-22-4, 116 points) to top spot in the overall standings in his first season behind the bench. That earned the Jets the first Presidents' Trophy in their history. Under St. Louis, Montreal (40-31-11, 91 points) earned its first post-season berth since 2020-21 and best overall record since 2018-19. This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 7, 2025. The Canadian Press
CTV News
23-05-2025
- Sport
- CTV News
Jets' Cheveldayoff a finalist for NHL general manager of the year with Nill, Zito
Winnipeg Jets General Manager Kevin Cheveldayoff, right, and head coach Scott Arniel speak to media at a press conference in Winnipeg, Monday, May 27, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/John Woods
