The rising NHL salary cap is changing the math for everybody, but it’s especially good news for defensemen like Simon Edvinsson and Alexander Nikishin. In a market where big-money extensions are climbing fast, both players have watched the ceiling get pushed higher right in front of them.
That matters because the recent contract trail has already reset expectations. Luke Hughes and Jackson LaCombe set the tone at $9 million AAVs, and then Bowen Byram jumped to $12.5 million AAV with the Chicago Blackhawks.
After that, plenty of people figured Lane Hutson of the Montreal Canadiens would clear $10 million. He didn’t, landing at $8.85 million AAV instead.
The feeling around that deal was clear: Hutson could have done better, but Montreal held the line.
Then the market kept moving anyway. Zeev Buium signed an eight-year deal with the Vancouver Canucks worth $9.38 million AAV, a number that only reinforced the idea that teams now have to pay for top-end talent. Before that, Brandt Clarke got $7.4 million AAV from the Los Angeles Kings, Pavel Mintyukov landed at $7.2 million AAV with the Anaheim Ducks, and Simon Nemec signed for $7.25 million AAV with the Calgary Flames.
Those deals, along with Brock Faber at $8.25 million, Owen Power at $8.35 million, and K’Andre Miller at $8.5 million, are part of the backdrop for Edvinsson and Nikishin. Even so, the market has moved again since then, and that’s the whole point. What looked like the top of the range a year ago already feels dated.
For Edvinsson, the projection is a long-term deal around $8.7 million AAV. His teammate Moritz Seider sits at $8.55 million AAV, which creates an obvious question for the Detroit Red Wings: do they want Edvinsson to come in above Seider?
Detroit is known for working with an internal cap, so that decision could get tricky. It’s also why it’s a little surprising Edvinsson hasn’t received an offer sheet.
He may not want out of Detroit, but the talks have been quiet, and now interim Shawn Horcoff is in charge while the Red Wings sort out what comes next. One way or another, Edvinsson’s price has climbed.
Nikishin’s situation looks just as delicate. He has been firm on wanting $8 million per season, while GM Eric Tulsky has been considering every option, including a trade.
The Carolina Hurricanes also tend to keep salaries in check, which makes this negotiation feel familiar. Jaacob Slavin is at $6.39 million a season, and Sebastian Aho is the club’s highest-paid player at $9.75 million a season.
That’s the framework Nikishin is working against.
The production is part of the argument, too. Nikishin had 33 points, with 11 goals and 22 assists, in 81 games.
The question is whether that’s enough to justify more than $8 million a year. His agent will point straight to Buium, who had 26 points - six goals and 20 assists - and still came away with $9.38 million a season.
That’s why Nikishin’s name has already surfaced in trade discussions. The Hurricanes have another Martin Necas situation on their hands.
There’s also a timing issue hanging over both players. If either one wants to sign an eight-year deal, it has to happen before September 15th. After that, the max drops to seven years with their current club and six years if they become an unrestricted free agent and sign elsewhere.
If you had to guess, Edvinsson is the more likely of the two to land long term in Detroit, while Nikishin could end up on a shorter deal before eventually moving on. Either way, both players have benefited from a market that keeps moving up.
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