The Carolina Hurricanes keep rolling, but one of last year’s key pieces is still nowhere close to joining the picture.
Carolina is 8-2-1 and sitting on the most points in the league, yet Alexander Nikishin remains unsigned. The promising Russian defenseman, who made the NHL’s all-rookie team last year, has also requested a trade, and the split between player and team appears to be heading toward an eventual parting.
That was the read from NHL insider David Pagnotta on Wednesday’s episode of Daily Faceoff LIVE, where he joined host Tyler Yaremchuk and co-host Carter Hutton to talk through where things stand. Pagnotta said the situation has not moved much, with both sides holding firm.
“Both sides kind of exactly that. They’re dug into their side.
He wants out. He doesn’t want to be part of the team.
My understanding is, I don’t think Roddy Brind’Amour will be upset if he never has to coach him again. You’re just waiting.
And this is a different-like, he’s a different type of restricted free agent than, you know, Simon Edvinsson. He, you know, being a 10.2 C RFA, there’s no deadline.
He can sign in February, as long as it’s before the trade deadline, effectively, to be eligible to play. Edvinsson has to sign by December 1st.
Now, everybody wants this crap done relatively soon. And Carolina still has those conversations with other clubs involving Nikishin.
But coming into this week, I was told it’s pretty much status quo on that front, as we kind of wait and see what happens here. We know he doesn’t want to sign in Winnipeg, so that’s kind of a moot point.
And the notion has been they’ve been trying to move him elsewhere to collect assets, to package, to go get Hellebuyck or somebody else. But, yeah, again, coming into this week, guys, it’s pretty much been status quo on Nikishin’s front in Carolina.”
For now, Carolina is still working through trade conversations with other teams, but nothing has changed much this week. The Hurricanes are winning without Nikishin, and the uncertainty around his future in Raleigh remains exactly that: uncertain.
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For the Hurricanes, the interest matters because cap space can turn a speculative sweepstakes into a real one, and Detroits ability to take salary in a deal gives the Red Wings some flexibility in how they build an offer. If Carolina wants to stay involved, the next layer is figuring out whether it can position itself as a serious landing spot without having to gut the roster or get creative in ways that narrow its options elsewhere. [Read more 🡒]