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The Chicago Blackhawks are expected to be one of several teams that will show trade interest in Winnipeg Jets forward Nikolaj Ehlers.
NHL insider David Pagnotta reported on June 5 that Ehlers will likely be on the trade block this summer as he enters the final year of his seven-year, $42 million deal. If Ehlers is available for trade, Pagnotta wrote, the Blackhawks would be one of many teams interested in the winger.
“Teams like the New York Islanders, Nashville Predators, Boston Bruins, Seattle Kraken, New Jersey Devils, Vancouver Canucks, Carolina Hurricanes, Chicago Blackhawks, Ottawa Senators, and Columbus Blue Jackets are among the teams looking to add a top-six winger and Ehlers is an attractive option,” Pagnotta wrote in his article on TheFourthPeriod.com.
According to Pagnotta, Ehlers hasn’t requested a trade out of Winnipeg. But the insider says the skilled winger isn’t interested in signing a contract extension.
“The 28-year-old Dane is set to earn $6.75 million in actual salary in 2024-25, though his cap hit is $6 million. He owns a 10-team no-trade list and word out of Winnipeg is that while he has not requested a trade, he would welcome a move. According to a well-placed source close to the Jets, Ehlers is not interested in signing a contract extension with the club and that is primarily why Winnipeg GM Kevin Cheveldayoff is exploring his options via the trade market,” Pagnotta wrote.
Ehlers has been a member of the Jets since he was drafted by the team with the ninth overall pick in the 2014 NHL draft. Last season, Ehlers recorded 25 goals and 36 assists for 61 points in 82 games. In the playoffs, he added 2 assists in 5 games.
Blackhawks Also Linked to Jake Guentzel
Along with the trade rumors for Ehlers, Sportsnet insider Elliotte Friedman speculated on the June 5 edition of “The Jeff Marek Show” that free-agent forward Jake Guentzel could sign with the Blackhawks.
“I look at it this way,” Friedman said. “Jake Guentzel is a Midwest guy. Chicago is a Midwest location. Also, they do need to get players to play with the guard … and it just doesn’t seem insane to me.”
Guentzel is the second-ranked player in free agency, according to DailyFaceoff.com which projects him to sign a six-year deal with $8 million per season.
Gunetzel recorded 4 goals and 5 assists for 9 points in 11 playoff games with the Carolina Hurricanes.
How Much Cap Space Do the Blackhawks Have?
Chicago is armed with plenty of cap space entering the offseason as CapFriendly has them with just short of $34 million available to spend.
The Blackhawks do have some key free agents in Mackenzie Entwistle, Taylor Raddysh and Tyler Johnson, but none is expected to command much money.
With that, Chicago will have plenty of money to spend in free agency or in trades, which is why the Blackhawks are linked to both Ehlers and Guentzel.
The full list of pending Blackhawks free agents is as follows:
- Collin Blackwell, C, UFA
- Tyler Johnson, C, UFA
- Joey Anderson, RW, RFA
- Mackenzie Entwistle, LW, RFA
- Reese Johnson, C, RFA
- Jacob Megna, D, UFA
- Jarred Tinordi, D, UFA
- Nikita Zaitsev, D, UFA