Winnipeg Jets left winger Nikolaj Ehlers became the most prolific player to hail from Denmark in NHL history last night. In 617 games, he has put up 474 points, overcoming Frans Nielsen who had gathered 473 in his 925 career-games. Montreal Canadiens fans may remember that Ehlers once dominated in the QMJHL with the Halifax Moosehead alongside Jonathan Drouin and Nathan MacKinnon before being drafted ninth overall by the Jets in 2014.
More recently, during the Canadiens’ 2021 playoffs run, it was Ehlers who shielded Jake Evans from the scrum that followed Mark Scheifele’s wrecking ball of a hit to the Canadiens’ center’s head.
Behind Ehlers and Nielsen in the top Danish scorer ranking is former Canadiens player Lars Eller. In 1049 games, the former St. Louis Blues’ first-round pick in 2007 has put up 409 points. The center spent six season in Montreal putting up 154 points in 435 games. He was acquired in the much talked about trade that sent Jaroslav Halak to the Missouri outfit, following the playoffs run that became known in Quebec as the Halak Spring.
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The Canadiens parted ways with the Dane on June 24, 2016 when GM Marc Bergevin traded him to the Washington Capitals for a pair of second-round picks during the draft. Moments later, he also acquired Andrew Shaw from the Chicago Blackhawks sending another pair of picks in return.
Eller spent seven years in Washington and won the Stanley Cup with the Caps in the 2017-18 season, scoring the Cup clinching goal. He became the first Danish player to engrave his name on the precious trophy and to take it to his homeland on his day with the emblem of hockey supremacy.
The centre remained in Washington until he was traded to the Colorado Avalanche in March 2023, as the Avs were hoping to make another long run to the playoffs. It wasn’t to be however and they bowed out of the Spring dance in the first round.
Eller signed a two-year deal with the Pittsburgh Penguins as a free agent that Summer and is currently playing out the last year of that pact. At 35, it’s quite possible this could be his last season in the NHL, and the Canadiens won’t miss him. The Dane does enjoy playing against his former team, in October he had a brace of goals in the Penguins 6-3 win over the Habs and he picked up an assist in Pittsburgh’s 3-1 win on Saturday.
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