Steve Dangle recaps and analyzes the deal that saw Nikolaj Ehlers sign a 6-Year/$8.5M contract with the Carolina Hurricanes. What does this mean for them moving forward? Are they a true Stanley Cup contender?
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37 Comments
RAISE UP
Nooooooooo
I'm a Jets fan and have loved Ehlers on the team. The guy has incredible speed and is very entertaining with a great sense of humour. Winnipeg is always voted as the most hated city to play in by 80% of NHL players. So I love the guys who love to play in the city. That said, glad the Jets didn't pay 8.5 million to keep him. Just seems a bit too much for the team to pay. We just paid Scheifle and Hellebuyck 8 million, and hard to justify paying Ehlers more than that. We also have Kyle Connor and a few others to pay next season. Congratulations to Carolina, they got a great player and an even better class individual, they will love watching.
Your Hurricanes analysis is overthinking it. They're a really good team. They're a good playoff team. It's just that the Florida Panthers are a better team. As for Kotkaniemi, yes it's time to trade him. He's a good 3C, great defensively, underrated passer, will play physical, hit and fight. He's just not a good enough scorer. I think we see Jarvis move into the 2C (he was drafted as a C and has that skillset) and hopefully use Kotkaniemi + prospect to acquire a big blue collar wing. Stefan Noesen would actually be kind of perfect for this lineup, I wish they hadn't let him walk.
There is a reason he never got L1 PP1 in Winnipeg. He’s inconsistent and I don’t think he will really be able affectively create offense in Carolina’s rigid system. I don’t think they will be much better or worse than they have been with Ehlers. This is not the player Carolina needs
Great move by Carolina. See a Trade !!
2:19 and one of those assists was on the game-tying goal in game 7 against the blues!
Canes need to trade for Brady Tkachuck. Get him close to his brother. Easy for his parents to get back and forth. Get him back to the USA. Give up KK, Blake, a prospect, and a 1st.
If we're going to call Kotkaniemi the Canes 2C we have to acknowledge that he played about a minute and a half less in ice time last season than 3C Jordan Staal and that his ATOI in 4 seasons in Carolina is less than his ATOI in 3 seasons in Montreal. This is why you trade him to another team and it's also why you make sure the Canes' next 2C is someone Rod Brind'Amour will play more than Staal. Kotkaniemi should have been traded after his 43-point season when he had some value. Dragging things out for 2 more years has left both the player and the team in a disadvantageous situation that could have been avoided.
0:33 Come on Steve, the Hurri-Danes was staring right at you!!
Sad to see Ehlers leave the Jets. Among his strengths are not just speed, but incredible ability to make really hard cuts in his skating that sometimes leaves defenders sliding down the ice. You can add to that the ability to shoot a 94 mph slapshot while skating at full speed. He can just overwhelm goalies. He also sees plays developing well ahead and that is where trouble seeps in. If he has linemates that can keep up with that creativity, he does well, as he did in the second half of the 24-25 season. But when on a line with Tyler Toffoli and Sean Monahan, as was case in the end of the 23-24 season, nothing seemed to work. On paper that second line should have been great. Ehlers is going to stretch the Canes. If they are up to the task, it should work well, but if they want him to adapt his play, it will be frustrating. As for his injuries, the end of this past season the problem was that he is willing to block shots and managed to take hard shots to both his foot and further up the same leg in one game. He is less injury prone than all too willing to put his body through a lot of strain.
How Canes can get 2C:
1. Take Seguin (no retention) and a 2nd for future considerations from Dallas. Stars need a bailout from cap hell.
2. Trade for William Karlsson.
overpay
I am sorry, but my standards (100k/point for a forward), overpaid.
You guys are obsessed with the Blues trading Schenn and it just isn’t happening fellas
I legit am sock of KK. Its not just offensive production. He takes plays off
As a Canes fan I 100% agree with everything said with this video. Ehlers makes us better but not good enough.
Kotanemi is one of the most overated players ever ! The Habs are lucky the Canes signed this guy !
Honest question: is any one of their C's better than Lundell ? They obviously make playoffs and can win 2 rounds because Metro sucks, but after that against Panthers or even Leafs, no chance. Funnily, they would probably match quite well against any Western team 😂…
2c seems to be the hardest position to fill in the league
Still think it's criminal that you didn't do a video on Toews return signing. I love the channel, though, so while i would lock you up, I would also post your bail.
Interesting how everyone likes stankoven but nobody wants to give him a try at the 2c role. Idk i think he's good at chasing the puck, moving around the net and could improve on faceoffs. Hall- stankoven- svech seems like a fun line
We NEED A 2C!!! Also we need a new goalie tandem.. Anderson is amazing until he’s inevitably hurt..
As a jets fan, I am very sad
Feels to me like "definition of insanity" by Einstein by the Canes, assuming they want to get to the SCF?
I am surprised he didn't get more. Canes have cap.
As for Kotkaniemi, they should ship him and picks to the Flames for Kadri. Would make sense for both teams.
I like McDavid but if he sign new contract with yuck Oilers I will be disappoint. McDavid need come home Toronto.
I don't understand this at all. The most boring team in NHL history
You’re spot on with all you’ve mentioned from Ehlers to Kotkeniemi
As far as for Jesperi it’s not easy to find a Center especially with many locking it in with their centers
KK might be listed on 2nd line but if you ever bother to look at ice time Staal is the 2C by time and deployment. KK is playing less than he was on Habs. He has never once been deployed as 2C truly. KK is also one of the most propudctive 5v5 guys Canes have. KK was also plainly told to stop trying to score every shift by Rod so.. sure he should play better but if you are not put into position succeed, play with 20 different line combos and play bottom 6 time and expect top 6 production i dont know what to tell you
Tulsky is cooking something. And ive been hearing maybe a Kadri deal… which could be great short term.
Excellent pick up from the Canes. I've always liked Ehlers and he will be a great fit. Good job Canes!
its the free market, but man 8.5 feels rough for someone who probably grades out more to a 2nd liner than a first
Mitch Marner. The only player to have BOTH his NHL jersey numbers in his Contract.
Why tf didn’t we get a center
Idk looks like they could've used Marner 😂