Nikolaj Ehlers, Jets agree to 7-year, $42 million deal as season opens

To celebrate the opening of the NHL regular season, the Jets are giving away some more money.

Winnipeg announced Wednesday it has signed forward Nikolaj Ehlers to a seven-year, $42 million contract. The move comes three weeks after the Jets locked up Bryan Little with a six-year, $31.75 million extension.

Ehlers, 21, is coming off a season in which he played in all 82 games and tallied 64 points with 25 goals. The Dane was entering the final season of a three-year deal that he signed after the Jets selected him ninth overall in the 2014 NHL Entry Draft.

Winnipeg opens the season Wednesday night against the Maple Leafs.