- Elliotte Friedman named the Predators as a team that has kicked tires on Alexander Nikishin
- The Hurricanes blueliner is still an unsigned RFA days out from training camp
- Read below for what Carolina wants back and why Nashville has the pieces
Nashville is in on Alexander Nikishin.
Elliotte Friedman ran through Carolina’s messy summer on the latest 32 Thoughts podcast and dropped a new name into the mix for the Hurricanes defenseman.
“Nikishin, by the way, I’ve heard Nashville was kicking around there too.”
Nikishin is still a restricted free agent with camp days away. His name has bounced around trade talk all summer and nothing has landed.
The 24-year-old scored 11 goals and 33 points in 81 games as a rookie, averaged 18:11 a night, worked both special teams and won a Stanley Cup. Scouts have him pegged as a long-term top-pairing guy.
Then there’s the price. The Hurricanes have said through the offseason that they want a star coming back, or at minimum a player who steps straight into the lineup. Picks alone are not going to get it done.
That is where Nashville’s math gets interesting. The Predators collected a 2028 first and a 2028 second when they sent Luke Evangelista to New Jersey, though Carolina already owns two first-rounders in 2028, its own plus Dallas’ from the Logan Stankoven deal.
Cap space is close to a wash right now, roughly $9.7 million for Nashville against just over $8 million for Carolina. The gap opens up later. Roman Josi has two years left, and Steven Stamkos and his $8 million hit clear the books in that same window.
Carolina does not have that flexibility on the left side, with K’Andre Miller and Jaccob Slavin both signed long term and Shayne Gostisbehere under contract for next season.
An on-ice fit is easy to sketch, too. Josi is a lefty who often prefers the right side, so Nikishin could slide in beside him the way Josi once grew into a star next to Shea Weber.
The Canes have not been sitting still either. They brought back Mike Reilly on a one-year deal Thursday, two days after adding Pierre-Olivier Joseph.
Two experienced left-shot veterans on cheap deals mean Carolina would not need an NHL defenseman coming back in any Nikishin trade. Whether the Hurricanes actually want to move him is the question nobody has answered yet.
