Carolina Hurricanes winger Nikolaj Ehlers made an emphatic statement on what his future holds with the franchise on Saturday, June 21. The 30-year-old did it in front of the thousands of Hurricanes fans at the rally stage in Raleigh, NC, after the conclusion of their Stanley Cup parade.

Zachary Martin of The Hockey Writers took to his official X account to share the excerpt of what the Danish player told the crowd about his plans for Carolina and in the NHL.

“I've got five more years here. I'm not f****** leaving!” said Ehlers to the Canes faithful, as per Martin’s post on X.

Ehlers confirmed his intention to abide by his six-year contract worth $51 million, which he signed with the Hurricanes in July last year. He had become an unrestricted free agent after his previous contract with the Winnipeg Jets ran out.

The deal with an average annual value (AAV) of $8.5 million is set to run till the 2030-31 season. On the same rally stage in Raleigh, Hurricanes GM Eric Tulsky had winger Nicolas Deslauriers sign a two-year contract extension worth $1.75 million.

The Canadian had become part of the franchise when the Philadelphia Flyers traded him for a conditional seventh-round pick in the 2027 NHL draft.

Moreover, the way in which Ehlers confirmed his stay at the Canes, it seems as though he will likely see out his current deal with them, if not extend it further.

Nikolaj Ehlers’s contribution to the Stanley Cup success of Hurricanes

Nikolaj Ehlers played all but one game for the Carolina Hurricanes in the 2025-26 season, including the Stanley Cup Playoffs, 100 games in total.

Ehlers initially joined Sebastian Aho and Seth Jarvis in the first line upon his arrival to the Hurricanes before getting moved to the second line involving Logan Stankoven and Jackson Blake.

But he found his calling mid-season after head coach Rod Brind’Amour moved him to the third line with captain Jordan Staal and Jordan Martinook.

He scored a career-high 71 points (26G / 45A) in the regular season in 82 games for Carolina. His 18 games in the Stanley Cup Playoffs led to 18 points, including eight goals and 10 assists.

A point-per-game from Ehlers in the playoffs came while missing Game 4 of the first round of the Eastern Conference. He sat out of that game against the Ottawa Senators due to a lower-body injury.

Before winning the Stanley Cup with the Canes this year, his best finish was making the Western Conference Final with the Winnipeg Jets in the 2017-18 season.

He has managed to reach the playoffs in eight out of 11 seasons in his NHL career.

Will Nikolaj Ehlers continue to play a key role in the success of the Carolina Hurricanes in the coming seasons? Tell us your thoughts in the comments.

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Written by

Arjun Sharma

Edited by

Ankita Yadav