- Nikishin was asked about his reported $8 million ask and answered with one word
- The Hurricanes defenseman says there is nothing concrete on a new contract yet
- Read below for what Carolina actually pays its blue line right now
Alexander Nikishin thinks $8 million is light.
Speaking with Daria Tuboltseva of RG, the Hurricanes defenseman was asked about the reports that he wants $8 million a season on his next contract. He smiled and gave a one-word answer.
“More.”
That is the loudest thing anyone in this negotiation has said publicly, and he followed it by making clear he is not the one at the table.
“My agents handle that. I don’t push the situation much, they take care of everything themselves,” he told RG. “If something concrete comes up, they’ll call me. Right now there’s nothing concrete about the contract.”
Nikishin is a restricted free agent coming off a two-year entry-level deal worth $1.85 million total. He is 24, and he won a Stanley Cup in his first full NHL season.
In the regular season he put up 11 goals and 22 assists across 81 games at plus-18, averaging 18:11 a night.
Then Rod Brind’Amour trimmed his minutes once the games got heavy. Nikishin finished the playoffs with one assist in 17 games and 14:50 of ice time per night, the lowest number among Carolina’s regular defensemen.
An $8 million cap hit would make him the highest-paid blueliner on the roster by a wide margin, and only two Hurricanes forwards would be earning more:
| Player | Position | Cap Hit |
|---|---|---|
| Sebastian Aho | Forward | $9.75M |
| Nikolaj Ehlers | Forward | $8.5M |
| Nikishin’s reported ask | Defense | $8M-plus |
| K’Andre Miller | Defense | $7.5M |
| Jaccob Slavin | Defense | $6.39M |
His case is that the whole market moved under him while he was busy winning a ring.
“The salary cap keeps growing, and defencemen are getting bigger salaries,” he said. “You can already feel the difference. I think contracts will keep getting bigger and bigger over time.”
He is right about the direction. The catch is that the blueliners clearing $8 million, guys like Rasmus Andersson and Jacob Trouba, got there after several hundred NHL games. Nikishin has 81.
Which is why his name keeps landing in trade columns instead of extension talk:
New York took a run at him earlier this summer, and the Blues are still circling, with Eric Tulsky holding out for a roster player rather than picks.
None of that seems to rattle him. “I really didn’t react to that at all,” he said. “Trade rumors are normal for us.”
Training camp opens in about seven weeks, and neither side has moved.
