The Carolina Hurricanes signed forward Nikolaj Ehlers on Thursday to a six-year, $51 million contract with an average annual value of $8.5 million through the 2030-31 season.

“Nikolaj was the top free agent available on July 1, and we are proud that he’s chosen to make Carolina his home,” Hurricanes general manager Eric Tulsky said, referencing the opening of the league year on Tuesday. “He’s a highly-skilled winger who can really skate and will fit very well with our forward group.”

Ehlers, 29, has spent his entire NHL career with the Winnipeg Jets and has scored at least 21 goals in eight of his 10 seasons. He collected 63 points (24 goals, career best-tying 39 assists), a plus-14 rating, 33 blocks and 38 hits while averaging 15:48 of ice time in 69 regular-season games last season as the Jets finished with a league-high 116 points and 56 wins.

He also recorded seven points (five goals, two assists) in eight postseason games.

Winnipeg selected the native of Denmark with the ninth overall pick of the 2014 NHL Draft. He has 225 career goals, 295 assists, a plus-106 rating, 245 blocks and 336 hits in 674 regular-season games for the Jets since the 2015-16 campaign.

Ehlers has an additional nine goals, 12 assists, a minus-8 rating, 22 blocks and 52 hits in 45 career playoff games.

–Field Level Media