"Fire Pat Verbeek" "Right alongside Aho & Svechnikov": NHL fans react as Hurricanes sign Nikolaj Ehlers to 6-year, $51M contract

The Carolina Hurricanes signed forward Nikolaj Ehlers to a six-year, $51 million contract on Thursday. Ehlers was the top free agent available when the free agency market opened on Tuesday, and now his deal will pay him $8.5 million per year.

The Hurricanes shared the news on their X account. Their post said,

“NIKOLAJ IS COMING TO CAROLINA!!!”

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Soon, NHL Fans quickly reacted online with mixed opinions.

“Fire Verbeek,” one fan posted, referring to a missed opportunity for Anaheim Ducks GM Pat Verbeek.

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“Another mid-star to go right alongside Aho and Svechnikov,” another fan said.

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"Just the overrated player that Carolina needed!!" a fan mentioned.

Despite the mixed reactions, the Hurricanes believe Ehlers will help their offense. Here are some more reactions from fans to Ehlers' signing.

"Conference finals games won by Ehlers in his career: 1 Conference finals games won by Carolina since Ehlers has been in the league: 1 Perfect Match!" a fan said.

"Don’t you love how fans of other teams come running here to badmouth the Canes. # jealousmuch #carchthatL #crying" another fan said.

"We will miss you Nikki. You guys got one of the good guys," a Jets fan wrote.

Canes GM Eric Tulsky's comments on Nikolaj Ehlers

Nikolaj Ehlers recorded 24 goals and 39 assists (63 points) in 69 games for the Jets in 2024-25. Over the years, he has had eight 20-goal seasons and can help the Hurricanes as a top-six forward. Drafted ninth in 2014, Ehlers is known for his speed, strong offensive play and consistency across ten NHL seasons.

Hurricanes general manager Eric Tulsky first announced the signing and talked about Ehlers.

“Nikolaj was the top free agent available on July 1, and we are proud that he’s chosen to make Carolina his home,” Tulsky said on Thursday, according to NHL.com. “He’s a highly-skilled winger who can really skate and will fit very well with our forward group.”

On Tuesday, Tulsky indicated that the team was pushing hard to sign Ehlers.

"We’ve had talks with his agent," Tulsky said, according to TSN. "He’s taking his time to field offers (and is) obviously a very popular person right now. (So) we are waiting to see where that goes.”

The signing adds depth to the Hurricanes' forward group.

About the author

Ankit is an NHL journalist at Sportskeeda with over 3 years of experience in the writing industry. He has expertise in sports, product, and travel content writing. His interest in ice hockey was piqued after watching Sidney Crosby play and he has been passionately following the game since then. Ankit admires Crosby’s personality and hockey IQ, and when he crossed the 1,500 points tally, Ankit was among the biggest fans to celebrate the occasion.

An Edmonton Oilers fan because of Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, Ankit also admires the Pittsburgh Penguins due to Crosby and the Colorado Avalanche for Nathan MacKinnon. He is also a fan of Wayne Gretzky and Bobby Orr.

Holding a Bachelor’s degree in English Literature and Language, Ankit believes his education has helped him develop a knack for presenting information in a precise and compelling manner. He only sources information from credible avenues and trusted people from his network for his articles.

When he is not watching or writing about the NHL, Ankit loves listening to music and reading books.

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Edited by Ribin Peter