'Top free agent' Ehlers leaves Jets for 6-year, $51M US deal with Hurricanes

Nikolaj Ehlers is waving goodbye to the Winnipeg Jets.

The winger signed a six-year, $51-million US contract with the Carolina Hurricanes on Thursday, the third day of NHL free agency.

"Nikolaj was the top free agent available on July 1, and we are proud that he's chosen to make Carolina his home," Hurricanes general manager Eric Tulsky said in a statement. "He's a highly-skilled winger who can really skate and will fit very well with our forward group."

The 29-year-old selected ninth overall at the 2014 draft spent a decade in the Manitoba capital, where he put up 225 goals and 295 assists for 520 points in 674 regular-season games.

His 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 $60 million — also with Carolina in a sign and trade from the New York Rangers — and Ivan Provorov staying with Columbus for $59.5 million over the next seven seasons.

Jets bid farewell

"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 Hurricanes' 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.

The six-foot, 172-pound Dane has topped 60 points four times in his career despite averaging just 16 minutes 26 seconds of ice time and often only seeing time on Winnipeg's second power-play unit.

The Jets are coming off a campaign that saw them capture the Presidents' Trophy as the NHL's top regular-season team.

Winnipeg advanced to the second round of the playoffs with a dramatic seven-game victory over the St. Louis Blues before losing out to the Dallas Stars 4-2.

Ehlers registered five goals and two assists in his eight post-season contests this spring.

He has also suited up for Denmark at five world championships and three Olympic qualifying tournaments.

Sharks bolster blue-line with Orlov, Leddy

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 $13 million. A Stanley Cup champion from his time in Washington who spent the past two seasons in Carolina, the veteran defenceman will count $6.5 million against the cap through 2026-27.

Orlov is the latest addition for the Sharks, who needed to add $20 million somehow to get to the $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 $4 million for next season.

Leddy also has a year left on his contract at a cap hit of $4 million, with $3 million in actual dollars owed. Orlov is the only experienced defenceman San Jose has signed beyond 2026.

Avs add Burns

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 $1 million with up to $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."