It’s time for another edition of NHL rumours. We’re past Labour Day in both the United States and Canada and that means hockey is in the air soon. However, the run up to the season is going to be intense. There are a number of players that are unsigned as of this time. This means we could see a mad scramble to get deals done before training camp starts. One of those teams looking to be busy is the Winnipeg Jets. This edition of NHL rumours talks about trying to sign a forward that will be a pending unrestricted free agent.
All NHL rumous come from the original source and are subject to change.
NHL Rumours
Winnipeg Jets Talk Extension with Rumoured Winger
Rumour: Mike McIntyre and Ken Wiebe of The Winnipeg Free Press discussed the future of Danish left wing Nikolaj Ehlers with the club.
Analysis: The 28-year-old has been a fixture of our NHL rumours for the last few months. Many are thinking the Jets would deal the Aalborg, Denmark native before the end of the coming season. Winnipeg General Manager Kevin Cheveldayoff likely doesn’t want to see Ehlers leave the club for nothing. A deal seemed logical at that point.
However, there seems to be a new development according to the two Free Press writers. McIntyre thought a trade would have happened in the off-season, but it has not materialized.
Some were thinking he may have wanted a change of scenery. Ehlers seemed to get a lot of criticism for things, but new head coach Scott Arniel has praised him in recent weeks.
Change in Attitudes
Arniel seems to want to have the former Halifax Mooseheads standout in the fold. Ehlers has yet to eclipse 30 goals in a season, but he’s put up at least 20 goals in all but two seasons in his nine-year NHL career.
Cheveldayoff may want to put the brakes on the trade for now and change course. McIntyre suggests the Jets could try to convince Ehlers to ink an extension. This is certainly different from the rumours we’ve talked about in previous editions.
Evolving Hockey had a contract projection of five years at $7.625 million in a recent roundup. It would be a raise from the $6 million that he currently gets.
What’s Next?
Winnipeg still has some work to do this off-season. We’ve mentioned that restricted free agent forward Cole Perfetti still has to sign a new deal. The Jets have nearly $5.8 million in cap space, but Perfetti will take up a chunk of that.
There are risks in trying for Cheveldayoff if extension talks do happen. Winnipeg still needs to find deals for Mason Appleton, Alex Iafallo and Gabriel Vilardi among others next season.
What happens if the Jets are in the mix for a Stanley Cup Playoff spot? Does Cheveldayoff hold onto Ehlers and risk letting him go into free agency for nothing? It’s a hard balance to find, but these are questions that will have to be answered soon.
It probably might be a good idea to at least take a run at an extension. This is something that could be unexpected given what’s been talked about previously.
Main photo by: Terrence Lee-USA TODAY Sports
