In what has been one of the more quieter free agent cycles in recent memory, with the majority of moves happening well before the official opening window, the top option current left on the board is Winnipeg Jets forward Nikolaj Ehlers. This begs the question of which team the star forward will land. According to insider Elliotte Friedman, the search has been narrowed down to 2 teams: Carolina and Washington.
The more likely of the 2 teams is probably Carolina as they have been the team that most pundits have connected the Danish forward to. But Friedman thinks Washington will attempt to steal the winger from their grasp, which could draw out this process for a while. Bob McKenzie of TSN seemed to think there won’t be an Ehlers deal done today.
For the majority of teams that came up short in the Mitch Marner sweepstakes, winning the Nikolaj Ehlers sweepstakes would be a solid consolation prize. For Carolina, Ehlers would be a fine addition to a forward core that could use another top piece. For Washington, the move would make sense as the team looks to load up and go on a run in what will be legendary winger Alex Ovechkin’s final season in the NHL.
So, we may not hear the news of Ehlers future landing spot on July 1, at the moment it seems more likely that will break later in the week. In the meantime, fans will continue to eagerly anticipate where the top 6 winger lands.
