3 Teams Were Runners-Up for Ehlers, 1 Team Was Told ’NO’ by Ehlers Camp

New Carolina Hurricane Nikolaj Ehlers speaks to media

Once Mitch Marner, Brad Marchand, Sam Bennett, Brock Nelson and Brock Boeser were all off the board, Nikolaj Ehlers was the cream of the UFA crop when it came to teams looking for a top forward. Indeed, he had his pick of the litter, and decided to go with the Carolina Hurricanes. But what about the other teams that lost out on Ehlers?

According to insider Elliotte Friedman on 32 Thoughts, there were three other teams (aside from the incumbent Winnipeg Jets) that made a pitch to Ehlers, and one other team that wanted to, but were told not to bother.

Starting with the three teams that were part of Ehlers' consideration, Friedman tells us it was the following:

Washington Capitals
Utah Mammoth
Colorado Avalanche

The Capitals, as we all heard over the last couple of weeks, were right down to the wire, and the insider confirms that they "went hard" after Ehlers. Utah and Colorado tried, but failed, to woo him.

As for the Detroit Red Wings? "I heard Detroit wanted to (make an offer), but were told, 'No'," said Friedman.

Would Steve Yzerman have stepped out of his comfort zone and offered a long-term deal for Ehlers? We'll never know.

Friedman added that, in addition to finding somehwere more 'quiet', out of the intense media spotlight of hockey-mad cities, Ehlers wanted to be in the Eastern Conference.

"One of the things I heard that Ehlers was really interested in was just less travel. East is easier travel." In addition, he wanted a chance to play on a top line, and in Carolina that would be with Seth Jarvis and Sebastian Aho. "You can see the fit there."

Ehlers, 29, signed a six-year contract with an $8.5 million cap hit. The 29-year-old scored 24 goals and totaled 63 points over 69 games this past season. He also had seven points in eight playoff games.