Jannik Hansen opines $42,000,000 Jets star would rather ditch Canucks for Canadiens in FA

Winnipeg Jets forward Nikolaj Ehlers will become an unrestricted free agent on July 1. NHL insider, Jannik Hansen talked about Ehlers on Canucks Central with Dan Riccio and Satiar Shah. He gave his thoughts on whether Nikolaj Ehlers would join the Vancouver Canucks.

Hansen said he doesn’t think Ehlers would come to Vancouver after his seven-year deal, $42 million contract, officially ends. He believes Ehlers would choose the Montreal Canadiens instead because he is good friends with Patrik Laine.

"Do I think he would come here? No. To be said, that's rough," Hansen said. "Yeah, he would pick Montreal before here. He's great friends with Laine. He played out in Quebec Major Junior League back in juniors, so he's familiar with that. He wouldn't scoff that plane in Canada. He likes that pressure. So that's not an issue."

Ehlers started in the NHL during the 2015-16 season. He was the Winnipeg Jets’ first-round pick in 2014 and had a strong junior career with Halifax in the QMJHL.

Hansen also mentioned that Ehlers is used to pressure and loud markets after playing in Winnipeg. So, that wouldn't be a thing that would bother him. Hansen pointed to a lack of top centers in Vancouver. He said players like Ehlers want to play with top centers.

So, unless Elias Pettersson improves, Vancouver won’t attract top wingers.

"I just think, like, who's he (Ehlers) gonna play with? Yeah, if Petey turns it around, but that's, where I'm looking at you," Hansen said.

"You want to attract these high-end marquee wingers, they're gonna look at it, 'Who's gonna feed me the puck?' And right now there's a black hole, and 'I don't want to go into a situation in Vancouver.

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Jannik Hansen's theory behind his blunt answer on Jets forward

Jannik Hansen added that playing in Vancouver comes with high pressure and lots of media attention. Something which we saw during the Elias Pettersson and J.T. Miller controversy around the turn of the year.

So, he pointed out that if there is no strong support on the ice, it could hurt a player’s performance.

"Yeah, I'm making a ton of money, and that's all good and well, but every single game I game, I get scrutinized, and I don't really have anybody to play with'," Hansen said. "So again, that's why I had a blunt response to that."

Ehlers finished his 10th NHL season with the Jets in 2024-25. He recorded 63 points in the regular season, with 24 goals and 39 assists. It was his fourth season with 60 or more points. He had a strong playoff showing, with five goals and two assists in nine games.

So, if the Jets forward enters free agency in 2025, Montreal may interest him more than Vancouver.