The Carolina Hurricanes and Alexander Nikishin are still working through a messy situation, and for now there’s no public sign that a resolution is close.
Hurricanes general manager Eric Tulsky addressed the stalemate and made clear the club is keeping the conversation private. “We’re trying to find a resolution. He has largely kept things out of the media, and I want to be respectful and make sure when players talk to me, they know it’s just between us.
“So, if they’re not talking to the media, I’m not going to either. Both sides are trying to find a resolution and figure out how we go forward from here.”
Nikishin, a restricted free agent defenseman, has recently switched agents to Paul Theefanous after reportedly asking for a trade.
On the San Jose side, Will Smith is eligible for an extension, but this one may not move quickly. JD Young of Locked on Sharks pointed to Adam Fantilli and Cutter Gauthier as strong comparables, and said a deal could easily wait until after the season.
“You look at a lot of their analytics; they’re very similar between Will Smith and Cutter Gauthier. So, I think he’s going to, next offseason, land somewhere in that kind of $13 million range, probably five or six years. $13 million would be my guess.
Thoughts on the Matthew Knies - Kirill Marchenko Trade
I think both Smith and the Sharks are comfortable just kind of letting this thing play out a little bit this season. Kind of see how Smith’s game continues to grow.
For Will Smith, you want more of these kind of contract points…and your agent to be like, ‘Well if this guy got paid this much, I think I’m more just as much, not more than that type of player.’ I think this is one of those deals where it gets done in the offseason, but before free agency.”
In Other News...
Sharks Opening Night Roster Leaves One Big Lineup Question
The Sharks have set their opening-night roster, and the group comes into the season carrying the usual blend of certainty and late decisions that tend to follow a long camp. San Jose is carrying 14 forwards, seven defensemen and two goalies, and the initial picture got a small jolt when Brett Leason was added to the roster as Adam Gaudette went on injured reserve with an upper-body injury.
Head coach Ryan Warsofsky also addressed where things stand for the opener, and the answer still leaves at least one part of the lineup unsettled. The forward group has some clarity, but one of the remaining defense spots is still being sorted out, keeping a bit of suspense around how the Sharks will line up when the games start to count. [Read more 🡒]
Macklin Celebrini Just Gave Sharks Fans A Telling Leadership Clue
Macklin Celebrinis latest interview offered a small but meaningful glimpse into how the young center sees the game and the kind of standard he wants around him. Speaking with Sharks host Natalie Noury, Celebrini singled out Sidney Crosby as the model when the conversation turned to leadership, a fitting reference point for a player trying to establish himself as one of the faces of San Joses next era.
The timing matters, too, because Noury also caught up with coach Ryan Warsofsky about the Sharks offseason and the work being done before the upcoming season. Between the clubs roster projections, Matt Nietos retirement announcement and the usual trickle of NHL and PWHL updates, the interview collection painted a broader picture of a team still sorting out its identity, with Celebrinis comments offering one of the clearest hints yet about the kind of tone he believes winning teams need. [Read more 🡒]
Sharks Playoff Hopes Already Rest On One Early Fix
The early return to the NHL season has not been kind to the Sharks, who opened 2025-26 with five straight losses and, once again, found themselves trying to dig out of a hole before the schedule even had a chance to settle. It is becoming a familiar problem in San Jose, where slow starts have now stretched across the last four years, leaving little margin for a roster that is still trying to grow up around its younger core.
Ryan Warsofskys team does have some reasons for optimism, including a young lineup and a few veteran additions on defense, but the bigger concern is still the same one that has haunted this group for seasons: keeping the puck out of its own net. The defensive depth remains a question, and after another rough opening stretch, the Sharks do not have much room to let those issues linger if they want any chance of hanging around the playoff race. [Read more 🡒]