There is a talented winger on the Winnipeg Jets who is coming off of an off year. He is one of the best in the league at gaining and exiting the zone. He is signed for six more years for $6 million. He is a very good player on a good contract. And the Jets are looking to trade Nikolaj Ehlers for defensive help.
The Jets do have to trade for defensive help after trading Jacob Trouba on Monday. After the trade, Trouba revealed that his fiancee is beginning her residency to become a doctor and she was doing that in the US. It made sense for them long-term for her to do her residency in the US and the Jets helped the couple out.
Back to Ehlers: the Jets do not have another player who can do what he does as well as he does period. No one carries the puck out of the defensive zone or into the offensive zone like Ehlers and therefore he is vital to the Jets attack. The Jets struggle with zone clearances and entrances, so Ehlers changes the complexion of the team completely.
The Jets have plenty of reasons to have to trade a player soon. They only have a shade over $24 million in cap space and need to sign a minimum of six forwards including both Patrik Laine and Kyle Connor as well as a minimum of two defencemen. The problem is that the Jets will be tight to sign that many players and improve the team with the money they have available to them. It would not be unrealistic for them to move one of their many wingers. For some reason, Ehlers has been the winger they have decided to move according to rumours. While there are other players who are older and make more money, those players would be harder to move. Ehlers is the sweet spot of young, good contract, and someone who can bounce back after an injury-filled season.
The Winnipeg Jets would be foolish to trade Nikolaj Ehlers. He is a player who changes the complexion of their attack. He should be a part of the Jets young core going forward instead of probably on the way out. This is not a good idea and hopefully they back off on the trade talk…but trading him at the draft in Vancouver would make me laugh for reasons.
