The Winnipeg Jets aren't slamming the door on the possibility of trading Nikolaj Ehlers.
Jets general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff is open to having conversations about Ehlers with interested teams, TSN's Darren Dreger reported on Wednesday's edition of "Insider Trading." Winnipeg would like to extend Ehlers, but that'll be complicated given Jets sniper Kyle Connor eventually needs a new pact, Dreger added.
Ehlers tied for fourth on the Jets in goals (25), ranked third in assists (36), and tied for third in points during the 2023-24 regular season. He added a pair of helpers in five playoff games this spring.
The Danish winger is signed through 2024-25 at a cap hit of $6 million, and his contract allows him to submit a 10-team no-trade list, according to CapFriendly. He'll be eligible to sign an extension on July 1.
Ehlers has a history of injury woes, but he played all 82 contests this past season for the first time since 2017-18. It was only the third time he's done so in his nine-year career, which he's spent entirely with the Jets. Winnipeg drafted Ehlers ninth overall in 2014.
Connor, the Jets' leading goal-scorer this season, buried 34 tallies in only 65 games. He's on the books for two more campaigns beginning in 2024-25. Connor will be due a hefty raise on his cap hit of $7,142,857, either on July 1, 2025 - when he's first eligible to ink an extension - or at the end of his deal as an unrestricted free agent.
