- Up to six teams are chasing Hurricanes RFA defenseman Alexander Nikishin, with the Blues in the mix
- Carolina wants a roster player in return, not picks, and reportedly a Kotkaniemi tag-along
- Read below for the market, the asking price, and what a Nikishin trade really costs
Alexander Nikishin might be the most wanted man of the NHL offseason.
Up to six teams have checked in with Carolina on the 24-year-old defenseman, and the St. Louis Blues are one of them. Darren Dreger of TSN spelled out the market:
The Hurricanes are not looking for futures. They want a roster player coming back, and a useful one, which is why a first-round pick on its own has not gotten anyone close.
There is a catch for every team that calls. Carolina is telling suitors they have to take Jesperi Kotkaniemi and his $4.82 million cap hit to land Nikishin, per David Pagnotta of the DFO Rundown.
Pagnotta put it plainly: “You want Alexander Nikishin, cool, but you gotta take Jesperi Kotkaniemi with him.”
Nikishin is worth the noise. He put up 11 goals and 33 points in 81 games as a rookie, then added an assist across 17 playoff games as Carolina won its first Stanley Cup since 2006.
He has the tools too. At 6-foot-3 and 220 pounds, he shoots left and moves the puck like a veteran. Watch his first NHL goal from back in October:
The holdup is money. Nikishin is a restricted free agent reportedly chasing a long-term deal worth at least $8 million a year, and Carolina has only around $11 million in cap space to work with.
This is not the first time his name has surfaced. Carolina already dangled Nikishin this summer in a pitch for Connor Hellebuyck.
Whoever wins the bidding pays in players, not picks, and takes on Kotkaniemi to do it.
