Alexander Nikishin’s trade request has put the Toronto Maple Leafs in position to chase a move that could become John Chayka’s first true blockbuster as general manager.
The latest update came Monday afternoon from Pierre LeBrun, who reported that the Carolina Hurricanes’ unsigned RFA had asked for a trade after last season and that the request is still active as the NHL offseason winds down:
Defenseman Alexander Nikishin remains unsigned by the Carolina Hurricanes as camps get set to open.
The 24-year-old RFA requested a change of scenery after the season, and one thing that was made clear to me Monday is that the request remains in place.
That kind of situation tends to draw a crowd, and Nikishin would be no exception. He helped Carolina win the Stanley Cup last season and finished the year with 33 points, including 11 goals and 22 assists, in 81 games.
In the playoffs, he added one assist across 17 games. Drafted 69th overall in 2020, he also made his NHL debut last season.
For Toronto, the appeal is obvious. The Maple Leafs already have a capable blue line, but the chance to add a 24-year-old offensive defenseman with years of control attached is the sort of opportunity teams don’t get often.
Nikishin fits the kind of puck-moving, mobile defender Toronto tried to bolster this summer, and he would also make the group younger. With an aging defense, that matters.
He’d also slide into a future that could include Ethan MacKenzie, Victor Johansson, and Noah Chadwick down the road. By then, Nikishin would still be in his prime and could serve as a veteran presence alongside Darren Raddysh.
The big hurdle, of course, is the price.
A proposed framework would send Ben Danford, Borya Valis, Dakota Joshua, and a 2028 fourth-round pick to Carolina in exchange for Nikishin.
Danford could appeal to the Hurricanes as a steady shutdown type with room to grow, even if he doesn’t bring Nikishin’s offensive game. Valis is viewed as a fringe prospect who might benefit from Carolina’s AHL setup, especially with Toronto’s own prospect pipeline crowded. Joshua, meanwhile, is part of a packed bottom six and carries a $3.25 million cap hit, so moving him would help create room if Toronto also adds Nikishin and Nick Blankenburg.
It’s a swing, no question. Nikishin has only one NHL season on his résumé, so there’s risk in paying that kind of price for a defender still early in his career. But given how aggressively John Chayka has operated this summer, it wouldn’t be a surprise if Toronto decided to go all in again.
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