The Carolina Hurricanes landed top free agent target Nikolaj Ehlers on Thursday, signing him to a six-year, $51 million deal.

The talented forward, along with Hurricanes general manager Eric Tulsky, spoke with the media over Zoom on Saturday about the signing.

Here's what they had to say:

Nikolaj Ehlers

On what went into his decision to sign with Carolina: A lot of things. I'm very excited about the prospect. I'm very excited about the team in Carolina. They've been a tough team to play against in the past and I like all the young players that are there. The interest that Carolina has shown was something that obviously helped a lot with the decision making. It made me very excited.

On how he feels he'll fit into the Hurricanes' system: I think my speed. The stress game that Carolina plays in the sense of when they don't have the puck. For example, trying to get the puck back as quick as possible. I think with my speed, I'm able to do that. I think with my speed, I can create a lot of room for the other guys as well and I believe that I will fit in very nicely and that's obviously something you look at as well when you try to make a decision. I talked to Rod [Brind'Amour] and we had kind of the same vision about how things are going to go and again, the talks that I've had with the people in the Canes organization is something that really excited me.

On the decision to leave Winnipeg: Very emotional. Obviously I'm very excited to join the Canes organization, at the same time, I'm also sad to be leaving an organization that helped me achieve my dream of being an NHL player. I've been in Winnipeg for 10 years, been a part of the organization for 11, and created a lot of great relationships on and off the ice. [Winnipeg general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff], [executive chairman Mark Chipman], [head coach Scott Arniel]. I talked to those three guys yesterday and it was very emotional. I had a lot of things to say and I had a lot of thank yous that I needed to get out because those guys and that organization is top notch. I told them why I made the decision that I made and they obviously respected it and were happy for me. At the same time, I'd been there for 10 years. So it was very emotional. I loved the organization and I'll always hold the city of Winnipeg very close to my heart. It's the place I lived the longest in my whole life. So it was some very good conversations and a lot of people I won't ever forget.

On if there was anything the Jets could have done differently to have convinced him to stay: I think it was [inevitable]. Like I told them, they didn't do anything wrong. I was there for 10 years, I loved it there, I loved the organization, the people in it, the guys. They became family. The city of Winnipeg, the fans... Everyone that's played in Winnipeg knows how incredible it is to play there. For me, it was more about trying something new and challenging myself. Getting out and seeing different things, a different culture. That's what I wanted to do. Obviously I loved playing in Winnipeg, will never forget my time, but it was time for me personally to get out and experience something different and challenge myself on and off the ice.

On what he thinks Carolina can help bring out of him: That's one of the things I'm trying to figure out. I think every player always has a little more and I'm hoping that maybe a different culture, a different playing style will make me a better player. I think I definitely could have done that in Winnipeg as well in some way, but this was more the overall feeling of, 'Okay, I need to go out and see what's out there and challenge myself.' I think there's still a lot of ways I can improve as a player and as a person. I'm excited to see how that works out.

On if he has any early goals or targets for next season: Fitting in great with the team is my most important thing. I'm not a guy who sets a target of goals, assists or points. I want to go in and get to know the guys, get to know the organization, get to know the city and get comfortable as quick as possible. All I've heard is great things about the team there and they all are like family, so I don't think that will be a huge problem for me and I think the rest will come pretty quickly. I'm excited for that.

On his perception of the Hurricanes before signing: Like I said in my first answer, they've always been hard to play against. You go to Carolina and you know exactly that they're going to be ready to play, that they're going to come out hard and they're going to keep stressing you out until they get the puck back. So now to be on the other side of that will be pretty fun. Again, I know how it is on hockey teams. It's like a family with al the players. Like I've said, I've only heard good things, so I'm excited to meet all the guys. Some of them have already reached out, which means a lot to me, and it just makes it even more exciting to get this season going. The rest... I'll obviously have some talks with some more players, with Rod as well, to set myself up in the best way possible come training camp.

On his familiarity with Frederik Andersen: I love that guy. We are very familiar. I'm excited to play with him. He's been a great goalie throughout his NHL career. We've obviously talked. He called me as soon as he heard the news. We've got the Olympics coming up in February as well, so it will be a very special year, I think. To have him there as well to help me get integrated as quickly as possible and show me around the city and so on, will help me a lot. I'm excited. It's going to be fun to play with another Danish guy.

On if he had any conversations with former Hurricane Nino Niederreiter on Carolina: Let me put it this way, I've talked to a lot of people. Obviously the decision came a bit later than people thought and the only reason for that was to set myself up in the best way possible to make the right decision. And I needed that time. I wasn't trying to drag it out and make people wait. It was just what I needed to be comfortable in the decision making. So yes, I talked to a lot of people and obviously tried to take in all the information and all the different impressions. It was a stressful, busy, but exciting time. A lot of time on my phone, let's put it that way.

On if he was looking for a "quieter market" in Carolina: It wasn't the media, you know I love you guys. No, I wouldn't put it that way. Like I said, I had been in Winnipeg for 10 years and I don't think I ever was in any way bad during the media or I hope you guys didn't feel like I didn't like you guys because I had a great relationship with every one of you. I hope that we can build something in Carolina... they already built that. They got the fans, they got the city rallying around the Canes, so I don't think it's quiet. Obviously Canada is a completely different story in the sense of the media and all of that, but it wasn't a specific thing I was looking for. You play hockey for the city. I love playing hockey, but you want the fans to be excited about your team, you want the fans to stand outside the rink like they did in Winnipeg and watch the playoff games and go nuts. That's what gives you the extra energy and I believe that they've built something similar to that in Carolina. So I'm excited to feel that.

On what he'll cherish most about his time in Winnipeg: I mean, it's 10 years. You know what I mean? There's no chance I can pick out one or two because the memories I've made there on and off the ice with guys on the team and people off the ice, neighbors and just the city of Winnipeg is something that I will take with me and cherish forever. It won't be the last time I'm in Winnipeg, obviously I'll be playing there as well, but I really did love living and playing in Winnipeg. Again, you've got moments that stick out. Obviously my first playoffs, my first goal at home and playing these past playoffs there where you can't leave the rink because there are so many people outside. It might sound annoying that you can't leave the rink, but that's the cool part about it, right? There are so many memories with the players and I've already talked to them about it and I'll never forget those guys and the people in the organization and the city. 

On how grateful he was to be able to still return from injury this past postseason and have a final memory with the Jets: It was very important to me to play and try to help the team win the Stanley Cup. But when I got injured, it hurt me a lot. And I think you get the feeling of, 'Okay, I might not play this playoffs,' or you just have no idea what might happen. You're injured, but we had a great team in Winnipeg trying to nurse me back to playing hockey again and it went two or three weeks quicker than it was supposed to. So I'm very grateful that I got to play such a cool last two games against St. Louis and a series against Dallas where I thought we really had a chance to do something special. Getting those last few games in Winnipeg, it's something that I think about now, but it wasn't something that I was thinking about during the season or during the playoffs. It sunk in sometime after and that Game 7 against St. Louis is, I believe, one of the craziest games in Winnipeg hockey history and I'll definitely never forget about that one.

Eric Tulsky

On the point at which the organization was confident they were landing Ehlers: When I got the call saying that he was signing with us. He had a lot of teams interested in him. He's a great player. I think in the end, for him, if he just wanted the most money he could have gotten more for sure. From my understanding, he was looking for a place that felt like the right fit, where he'd be happy, where he'd have a chance to win and so it turns into a recruiting pitch. It's a personal decision for what feels right to him. All we can do is present him the information that we have on our team and help him understand why we think he'd enjoy it here and wait for his decision.

On how he feels Ehlers will fit into the team: He's incredibly fast and dynamic with the puck. He'll bring creativity to our game. We have the puck as much as any team in the league and the more we can turn that into premium scoring chances, the better off we'll be. Nikolaj is the kind of player who can create scoring chances out of nothing and that's the sort of thing that you can layer onto what we've already built and it can help take us to the next level.

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