Ehlers expects Jets to make offseason changes after disappointing finish

TAMPERE, Finland -- Nikolaj Ehlers understands there'll be change this summer for the Winnipeg Jets following another disappointing end.

He just doesn't necessarily know what that change will be for Winnipeg, which was eliminated from the Stanley Cup Playoffs by the Vegas Golden Knights in five games in the Western Conference First Round.

"I can't tell you what's going to happen or what needs to happen, but I'm guessing that something is going to happen, yes," Ehlers told NHL.com on May 19 at the 2023 IIHF World Championship in Finland and Latvia.

"You try to find answers to these questions every single year when you don't win the Cup, because that's everyone's goal every year. When you don't make it, it feels like failure, and then everyone asks what went wrong and you're standing back and you're not sure what to say."

The Jets entered the playoffs as the second wild card from the West after stumbling down the stretch, going 15-17-2 in their final 34 games. Winnipeg was first in the conference Jan. 22, when they were 31-16-1.

Ehlers, who had 38 points (12 goals, 26 assists) in 45 games and was limited to just one postseason game because of an upper-body injury, couldn't pinpoint the reason for Winnipeg's struggles.

"We had a great start," Ehlers said. "We were close to first in the division in February or January, and then we were fighting for a playoff spot at the end of the regular season. But then you look at Boston, who was the best team in the league for 82 games, and they're out after the first round as well. That's hockey. That's what makes the NHL so fun and what makes the playoffs so fun is that it doesn't matter if you're first or eighth ... you've still got a chance to win.

"I can't tell you what went wrong. It's just part of the playoffs. We would still like to be playing right now but we just weren't good enough. Vegas beat us, and they should've."

Another early exit has prompted plenty of questions about the current roster.

Several core players can become unrestricted free agents at the end of next season, including goalie Connor Hellebuyck, forwards Blake Wheeler, Mark Scheifele and Nino Niederreiter, and defensemen Brenden Dillon and Dylan DeMelo.

"For me, it's not very fair to judge the core group," said Niederreiter, who was acquired in a trade with the Nashville Predators on Feb. 26. "It's up to management what they're going to do. I do know there's a lot of stuff that can potentially happen. There's a lot of great players on that roster. They've proven more or less each and every year that they're great players.

"You have an elite goaltender, you have goal-scorers on the team, you've got a lot of great pieces, but it's up to management what they're going to do."

Forward Pierre-Luc Dubois, who had an NHL career-high 63 points (27 goals, 36 assists) this season, can become a restricted free agent July 1.

While members of the Jets wait to see what unfolds this summer, Ehlers opted to continue to play. He's skating for Denmark at the World Championship in hopes of ending a struggle of a season on a more positive note.

And for one last chance to play for his father, Heinz Ehlers, who is coaching Denmark at the tournament.

That, among a handful of other reasons, has Ehlers hoping to hit refresh on the Worlds stage.

"I'm here for a lot of different reasons," Ehlers said. "It's my dad's last World Championship as a national team coach. I think I played 46 games this year, regular season and playoffs, and yeah, mentally it was a grind. Physically I didn't feel like I was done playing hockey.

"I've always loved representing the red and white colors and the line on my chest. I had the choice, you can say, and it was an easy choice for me to make, but obviously a little harder for Winnipeg since I had some injuries and stuff, so I appreciate that a lot."