Changing on the Fly

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 01/04/2025 (189 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

LOS ANGELES — Nikolaj Ehlers made sure that his actions have matched his words.

The Winnipeg Jets winger made it clear during training camp that his uncertain future wasn’t going to be a topic of conversation that he cared to discuss much over the course of the season.

Although he’s been asked about it on several occasions, the answer stayed the same.

His focus is entirely on the season at hand and the rest would take care of itself when the time is right.

Whether that means there is still time for an extension to be signed before July 1, or if Ehlers will hit the market as an unrestricted free agent for the first time in his career, remains to be seen.

But there is no denying the fact that it never became a distraction for himself or his teammates, since Ehlers — whose nickname is Fly — is playing some of the best hockey of his career and his team currently resides in first place in the NHL.

If there was a study done on the ability to compartmentalize an issue that can be tough for many to deal with, Ehlers is passing with flying colours.

“Easy. Super easy,” Ehlers said on Tuesday, before the Jets faced the Los Angeles Kings in a game that was ongoing at press time.

“For me, I’m in the same exact position as everyone else in here. I don’t think anybody else is thinking about next season or in two years or three years. We’re thinking about what we’re able to do with this team right now.”

What the Jets and Ehlers have been able to do is flourish together.

Ehlers had 24 goals and 63 points in 65 games going into Tuesday’s action and, were it not for the nine games he missed with a lower-body injury, it’s a safe bet he would have already eclipsed his career-high for goals (29, which was set during the 2017-18 season).

In recent games, Ehlers has seen a shift in his role as he’s been moved to a line with Adam Lowry and Mason Appleton by Jets head coach Scott Arniel in an effort to provide a bit more balance after top-line winger Gabe Vilardi was sidelined with an upper-body injury.

“We gave him some new responsibilities,” said Arniel.

“Now he’s going up against other teams’ top lines. Not so much being checked, now he’s one of the checkers. I like that look with him and he’s grasped it. One thing for him is that he’s been around for a while and he likes new things, new challenges and new opportunities and I like to think that he’s making the most of it.”

The other thing Ehlers has made the most of this season has been his promotion to the Jets’ top power-play unit after the arrival of assistant coach Davis Payne.

After Ehlers had previously been used as the primary shooting option on the second unit, Payne envisioned the speedy Danish forward in the high slot in what he calls the pop position.

After going the entirety of last season without scoring a power-play goal, Ehlers already has six goals and 22 points with the man-advantage.

Ehlers admitted that he wasn’t sure when the idea was presented to him, but he quickly got to work on researching what the position would entail, watching video and getting insight from players who did the job.

One of the people Ehlers solicited advice from was former Jets centre and frequent linemate Paul Stastny, and he’s been a great resource.

“I will for sure do this, I’m excited for that challenge but I’m going to need help,” said Ehlers. “They’ve been able to help me a lot and make it easier for me, with the reads that I need to make.”

Appleton recently referred to Ehlers as one of the most dynamic players in the NHL and that’s related to his explosiveness and ability to push back defenders with his blinding speed.

Combine that with his defensive awareness and you’ve got a pretty lethal combination.

“His transition offence and the way that he transports the puck is so elite. He can create things on his own, with his speed, with his vision, his deceptiveness and with his shot,” said Lowry.

“He’s underrated defensively, in terms of his reads and his positioning in the D-zone. That’s something that he’s really paid attention to over his career, being a coach’s son helps. The attention to detail.”

Ehlers has often been his harshest critic.

He holds himself to a high standard and isn’t afraid to call himself out when he’s not reaching that mark — giving a recent example when discussing Sunday’s 3-1 win over the Canucks.

“Last game, I was terrible in the first two periods, throwing a lot of pucks away, and that doesn’t play into the game we want to be able to play,” said Ehlers. “Even though you play against those top lines, you want to have the puck in the O-zone.

“I think we’re still feeling each other out, with where we’re going to be and things like that. It’s always exciting, trying to find that.”

Part of the feeling-out process included Ehlers creating some chaos with a sharp-angle shot that became a rebound for Appleton and the game-winning goal.

So while the experiment is still in the formative stages, it’s already yielded some important results.

Ehlers, who turned 29 in February, is trying to soak in every moment of the regular season, but he can’t help but imagine what the Stanley Cup playoffs are going to be like when they arrive in the middle of this month.

“Absolutely. We haven’t been happy with the way things have gone in the past couple of years,” said Ehlers, who was chosen ninth overall by the Jets in 2014.

“That gives us a chance now to show that we’re a team that deserves to be in the spot we are right now. But we believe in ourselves. We want to prove to ourselves that we have what it takes and we believe that we do. It’s all about putting the pieces together and peaking at the right time. That’s how it is in the playoffs.

“With the way we’ve been able to play this year, being able to bounce back after losses and win games, that’s going to help us a lot.”

Ehlers understands that this edition of the post-season also provides an opportunity for him to show what type of player he can be when the lights are brightest.

He knows full well that the numbers he’s accumulated in the playoffs haven’t matched his regular-season output over the course of his career.

That hasn’t been from a lack of effort either.

There have been times over the years where Ehlers tried to do too much, rather than have the game come to him.

But whether it was injuries or the fact he hasn’t previously had much first unit power-play time, Ehlers has recorded only four goals and 14 points in 37 playoff games.

He’s the first person to acknowledge that there’s another level for him to reach, though he was encouraged by his play last spring in the five-game series with the Colorado Avalanche.

“I haven’t been happy,” said Ehlers.

“Everybody goes through stuff in the playoffs. To me, that’s not really an excuse that I want to use. I’ve got to be better. I know that. I actually think the last playoffs against Colorado, I played well. The points may not have shown it, but I played the way that I needed to.

“But obviously I want to take it a step further this year and just do my job as well as I can.”

ken.wiebe@freepress.mb.ca

X and Bluesky: @WiebesWorld