The Los Angeles Kings still have one clear offseason hole to fill: a puck-moving defenseman who can change the look of the blue line.
That need has pushed Carolina Hurricanes defenseman Alexander Nikishin into the conversation. The 24-year-old Russian left shot has come up in recent rumors and reporting as a possible fit for Los Angeles, and the Kings have been linked in various rumors and reports over the past month or so as a team that could at least kick the tires on a deal.
Nikishin’s contract situation is now one of the more interesting late-offseason storylines in the NHL. He addressed the speculation himself and brushed off the reported $8 million annual ask with a smile, saying: "More."
For the Kings, the appeal is obvious. They need a defenseman who can move the puck, and they need one before training camp opens this fall. The idea would be to add a left-shot option for the top pairing with Brandt Clarke, while also strengthening a blue line that still needs another top-four defenseman capable of getting the puck up ice.
At 24, Nikishin fits the kind of timeline Los Angeles wants. His offensive upside and playmaking from the point make him a cleaner long-term answer than the older pieces already in the Kings’ core, and that matters if the goal is to build something that lasts beyond this season.
Carolina, though, has every reason to make this difficult. Nikishin played a crucial role during the Canes’ Stanley Cup-winning campaign, and he is viewed as a key part of their future. Even with the Hurricanes’ trade with the Anaheim Ducks for veteran defenseman John Carlson not working out this offseason, a late-summer re-signing in Raleigh still feels like a real possibility.
The sticking point is money. Nikishin’s contract demands appear to be a major issue in negotiations, and any team that tried to pry him away would have to pay a steep price in trade assets, future draft capital and cap space for a long-term deal.
A trade does not look imminent. But if Carolina decides the price has climbed too high, the Kings already seem to be among the teams watching closely. That could leave Los Angeles in position to chase one of the NHL’s most intriguing young blue liners.
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