The Alexander Nikishin watch is starting to feel like one of the summer’s bigger lingering questions, and the Nashville Predators have now been added to the list of teams circling.
Nikishin is still unsigned as a restricted free agent with training camp getting closer, and while trade chatter has followed him all summer, no move has materialized yet. On the latest 32 Thoughts podcast, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman said Nashville has been in the mix, putting it this way: “Nashville was kicking around there” He also pointed to the Predators’ recent trade of forward Luke Evangelista for a pair of draft picks as a possible sign they have the assets to make a serious push.
The timing matters because Nikishin’s market is getting harder to read. Friedman also brought up the Vancouver Canucks’ recent eight-year extension for young blueliner Zeev Buium, a deal worth $9.38MM AAV, as something that has to be weighed in any Nikishin discussion. Buium is about four years younger, but Nikishin brings a much deeper pro resume to the table.
That resume is a big part of why he’s such an intriguing name. For three seasons, he was one of the KHL’s top defensemen with SKA St.
Petersburg, and he twice led the league in scoring among blueliners. He also earned two KHL first-team All-Star nods before making the jump to the NHL and immediately producing for Carolina, where he put up 11 goals and 33 points in 81 games.
He logged 18:11 of ice time per game as a rookie and saw work on both sides of special teams. The expectation around him is clear: he projects as a long-term top-pair defenseman with a high chance of sticking there.
That’s why Buium’s $9.38MM AAV could end up serving as a floor in Nikishin’s mind if Carolina tries to hammer out a maximum-term extension. It’s hard to argue he should come in below that number.
For the Hurricanes, the cap math is not exactly friendly. They have just over $8MM in space, per PuckPedia, and would likely need to clear money elsewhere if they want to keep Nikishin unless he takes a lower cap hit than expected.
Carolina also already has two left-shot defensemen locked in long term in K’Andre Miller and Jaccob Slavin, while Shayne Gostisbehere is under contract for next season as well. Nikishin did spend plenty of time on the right side, but there isn’t a glaring need that forces the team to keep him at all costs.
That’s why a trade has to be on the table as a real possibility. If Carolina decides the best path is to move him, the key question becomes what kind of offer it would take to pull the trigger. The Hurricanes would still rather keep him, but the financial picture makes this a complicated call.
Nashville’s cap situation doesn’t create a huge short-term edge, since the Predators sit at $9.7MM in space, per PuckPedia. But the long view looks different. Carolina’s core on the left side is already spoken for, while Nashville’s highest-paid defenseman, captain Roman Josi, is only under contract for two more seasons.
There’s also the matter of Steven Stamkos and his $8MM cap hit coming off the books. That gives Nashville more room to maneuver over time, even if the immediate flexibility isn’t massive.
From a hockey standpoint, the fit is easy to see. Nikishin could line up with Josi on the top pair, with Josi often preferring the right side despite being a left shot himself. That would give the Predators a young, rising defenseman next to an established franchise cornerstone, a setup with a familiar feel for Josi, who once developed alongside Hall of Fame Predators captain Shea Weber.
For now, though, Nashville is just one team to watch, and Carolina still has not fully committed to moving its young defenseman. The Hurricanes have also added some depth on the back end recently, signing Pierre-Olivier Joseph and Mike Reilly to one-year deals. Those moves give them the ability to trade Nikishin without necessarily demanding an NHL-ready defenseman back, even if they don’t guarantee that a trade is coming.
Clarity should arrive soon enough. With camp approaching, Nikishin’s situation is one of the biggest ones left to settle.
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