Nikolaj Ehlers chooses the Carolina Hurricanes, taking the NHL's top free agent off the market

The long wait for Nikolaj Ehlers' free agent decision is over.

Ehlers decided Thursday to sign with the Carolina Hurricanes, taking the top player available off the market more than 72 hours since the NHL's signing period began.

Ehlers agreed to terms on a six-year, $51 million contract. He’ll count $8.5 million against the salary cap through 2031. He's coming off being nearly a point-a-game player with 63 in 69.

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

It turned out to be worth the wait for the speedy 29-year-old winger from Denmark who played his first 10 seasons with Winnipeg. Ehlers' contract is the most lucrative of any signed by an unrestricted free agent who left his team this week and $250,000 more than Brock Boeser got to re-sign with Vancouver.

The only bigger contracts have been K'Andre Miller's eight years and $60 million — also with Carolina in a sign and trade from the New York Rangers — and Ivan Provorov staying with Columbus for $59.5 million over the next seven seasons.

“From first-round pick to the highest-scoring Danish player in NHL history, and all the countless memories in between, thank you for everything, Fly,” the Jets posted on social media. “All the best in Carolina.”

Ehlers joins a core that has reached the playoffs seven consecutive seasons under coach Rod Brind'Amour with two trips to the Eastern Conference final over the past three springs. Carolina still has $10 million in cap space with just about a full roster, providing flexibility to fill holes between now and the trade deadline in March.

Signing Ehlers could start dominos falling around the league as teams who did not get him — among them, the Washington Capitals — turn to backup plans. That includes potential trades, with Pittsburgh actively in selling mode, along with remaining free agents.

The Capitals pivoted nearly immediately to bringing back winger Anthony Beauvillier on a two-year, $5.5 million deal.

Elsewhere on Thursday, Dmitry Orlov is heading to the spend-happy San Jose Sharks, who have been active this week and even made a pickup off the waiver wire to reach the salary floor.

Orlov, who turns 34 later this month, signed a two-year contract worth $13 million. A Stanley Cup champion from his time in Washington who spent the past two seasons in Carolina, the veteran defenseman will count $6.5 million against the cap through 2026-27.

Orlov is the latest addition for the Sharks, who needed to add $20 million somehow to get to the $70.6 million minimum for player salaries. That counts money owed to captain Logan Couture, whose playing career is over because of a debilitating injury.

San Jose also claimed Nick Leddy off waivers from St. Louis to add to its new-look blue line that includes recently signed veteran John Klingberg, who got $4 million for next season.

“Klingberg was someone we had targeted for a little while now,” general manager Mike Grier said earlier this week. “We need someone who can run a power play. We think, as he showed he was getting healthier and healthier this year and another year out from his hip (surgery), I think he’ll be even better”

Leddy also has a year left on his contract at a cap hit of $4 million, with $3 million in actual dollars owed. Orlov is the only experienced defenseman San Jose has signed beyond 2026.

Brent Burns, who played alongside Orlov the past two seasons with the Hurricanes, agreed to terms with Colorado on Wednesday night to a one-year contract worth $1 million with up to $3 million more attainable through performance bonuses. The 40-year-old who won the Norris Trophy as top defenseman in 2017, is set to become the 23rd player in league history to play at least 22 seasons.

“I just love it: I love coming to the rink every day and working,” said Burns, who is three games shy of reaching 1,500 in the regular season over his career. "It really is the best. You’re around guys that they’re chasing one goal and there’s just something special about it: all the laughs and the working hard together. It’s really special to try to build something together, and I just enjoy that process.”

AP Sports Writer Pat Graham in Denver contributed.

AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl

FILE - Carolina Hurricanes defenseman Brent Burns (8) warms up before Game 5 of a second-round NHL hockey playoff series against the Washington Capitals Thursday, May 15, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass, File)

FILE - Carolina Hurricanes' Dmitry Orlov (7) controls the puck against the New Jersey Devils during the second period of Game 2 of an NHL hockey Stanley Cup first-round playoff series in Raleigh, N.C., Tuesday, April 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Karl DeBlaker, File)

FILE - Winnipeg Jets' Nikolaj Ehlers plays during an NHL hockey game, Thursday, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum, File)

FILE - Denmark's Nikolaj Ehlers reacts after against German during a Group B match between Germany and Denmark at the hockey world championships, May 20, 2025, in Herning, Denmark. (Bo Amstrup/Ritzau Scanpix via AP, File)

NEW YORK (AP) — Thousands of nurses in three hospital systems in New York City went on strike Monday after negotiations through the weekend failed to yield breakthroughs in their contract disputes.

The strike was taking place at The Mount Sinai Hospital and two of its satellite campuses, with picket lines forming. The other affected hospitals are NewYork-Presbyterian and Montefiore Medical Center in the Bronx.

About 15,000 nurses are involved in the strike, according to New York State Nurses Association.

“After months of bargaining, management refused to make meaningful progress on core issues that nurses have been fighting for: safe staffing for patients, healthcare benefits for nurses, and workplace violence protections,” the union said in a statement issued Monday. “Management at the richest hospitals in New York City are threatening to discontinue or radically cut nurses’ health benefits.”

The strike, which comes during a severe flu season, could potentially force the hospitals to transfer patients, cancel procedures or divert ambulances. It could also put a strain on city hospitals not involved in the contract dispute, as patients avoid the medical centers hit by the strike.

The hospitals involved have been hiring temporary nurses to try and fill the labor gap during the walkout, and said in a statement during negotiations that they would “do whatever is necessary to minimize disruptions.” Montefiore posted a message assuring patients that appointments would be kept.

“NYSNA’s leaders continue to double down on their $3.6 billion in reckless demands, including nearly 40% wage increases, and their troubling proposals like demanding that a nurse not be terminated if found to be compromised by drugs or alcohol while on the job," Montefiore spokesperson Joe Solmonese said Monday after the strike had started. "We remain resolute in our commitment to providing safe and seamless care, regardless of how long the strike may last.”

New York-Presbyterian accused the union of staging a strike to “create disruption,” but said in a statement that it has taken steps to ensure patients receive the care they need.

"We’re ready to keep negotiating a fair and reasonable contract that reflects our respect for our nurses and the critical role they play, and also recognizes the challenging realities of today’s healthcare environment,” the statement said.

The work stoppage is occurring at multiple hospitals simultaneously, but each medical center is negotiating with the union independently. Several other hospitals across the city and in its suburbs reached deals in recent days to avert a possible strike.

The nurses’ demands vary by hospital, but the major issues include staffing levels and workplace safety. The union says hospitals have given nurses unmanageable workloads.

Nurses also want better security measures in the workplace, citing incidents like a an incident last week, when a man with a sharp object barricaded himself in a Brooklyn hospital room and was then killed by police.

The union also wants limitations on hospitals’ use of artificial intelligence.

The nonprofit hospitals involved in the negotiations say they’ve been working to improve staffing levels, but say the union’s demands overall are too costly.

Nurses voted to authorize the strike last month.

Both New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and Mayor Zohran Mamdani had expressed concern about the possibility of the strike. As the strike deadline neared, Mamdani urged both sides to keep negotiating and reach a deal that “both honors our nurses and keeps our hospitals open.”

“Our nurses kept this city alive through its hardest moments. Their value is not negotiable,” Mamdani said.

State Attorney General Letitia James voiced similar support, saying "nurses put their lives on the line every day to keep New Yorkers healthy. They should never be forced to choose between their own safety, their patients’ well-being, and a fair contract.”

The last major nursing strike in the city was only three years ago, in 2023. That work stoppage, at Mount Sinai and Montefiore, was short, lasting three days. It resulted in a deal raising pay 19% over three years at those hospitals.

It also led to promised staffing improvements, though the union and hospitals now disagree about how much progress has been made, or whether the hospitals are retreating from staffing guarantees.

Nurses strike outside New York-Presbyterian Hospital, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Nurses strike outside New York-Presbyterian Hospital, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Nurses strike outside New York-Presbyterian Hospital, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Nurses strike outside New York-Presbyterian Hospital, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Nurses strike outside New York-Presbyterian Hospital, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Nurses strike outside Mount Sinai West Hospital, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Nurses strike outside Mount Sinai West Hospital, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Nurses strike outside Mount Sinai West Hospital, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Nurses strike outside Mount Sinai West Hospital, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

FILE - A medical worker transports a patient at Mount Sinai Hospital, April 1, 2020, in New York. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer, File)