Carolina Hurricanes defenseman Alexander Nikishin is still unsigned, and now there’s a bigger wrinkle behind that stalemate: according to NHL insider Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic, Nikishin and his camp asked for a trade after Carolina’s playoff run, and that request is still on the table as training camp approaches.
LeBrun reported, “Defenseman Alexander Nikishin remains unsigned by the Carolina Hurricanes as camps get set to open,” LeBrun noted. “The 24-year-old RFA requested a change of scenery after the season, and one thing that was made clear to me Monday is that the request remains in place.”
Nikishin’s name has already been floating around trade talk for a while. In June, NHL insider Frank Seravalli reported that he was the centerpiece of Carolina’s offer to the Winnipeg Jets for star goalie Connor Hellebuyck, and other reports have connected him to additional teams.
What LeBrun’s update adds is the reason those conversations may be happening: not just Carolina shopping a valuable young defenseman, but Nikishin’s side pushing for a move.
The Hurricanes selected Nikishin No. 69 overall in 2020, and his arrival had been circled by fans for years. The Russian blueliner spent those seasons building a reputation in the KHL, growing into one of the top NHL prospects outside North America before leaving SKA St. Petersburg, where he served as captain from 2023 through 2025, to make his NHL debut during the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
He made a real first impression. Nikishin posted 33 points in 81 games as a rookie, then added a point in 17 postseason games as Carolina pushed all the way to the Stanley Cup.
That strong debut season also earned him league recognition. Nikishin finished seventh in Calder Trophy voting, picking up two third-place votes, 14 fourth-place votes and 40 fifth-place votes. He also landed on the NHL’s all-rookie team as one of the two defensemen alongside Calder winner Matthew Schaefer.
If Carolina ends up moving him, Nikishin would become only the second player from the Hurricanes’ Cup-winning roster to leave the organization this offseason, joining Frederik Andersen, who signed with the Edmonton Oilers as an unrestricted free agent.
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