Carolina Hurricanes & Alexander Nikishin In Contract Stalemate – The Hockey Writers – Carolina Hurricanes

When it comes to the curious case of the Carolina Hurricanes and Alexander Nikishin, it’s been interesting to say the least. Just over a month since winning the Stanley Cup, the Hurricanes are still in limbo with their young Russian defenseman. Both sides aren’t in a rush to get a deal done; however, where do things stand in negotiations?

Do the Hurricanes “Show Him the Money”?

To quote the movie Jerry Maguire, it seems the Hurricanes could be in a “show me the money” situation. After coming off a season where he had 11 goals and 33 points in 81 games, along with being a Stanley Cup champion, Nikishin seems to be waiting for the right time, or an amount, to sign. Back on June 26, John Buccigross on Frankly Hockey mentioned how Nikishin and his camp could be asking for a huge number: “sounds like $8-ish (million).” At first, it seems high considering Nikishin only has one year of NHL experience under his belt.

Granted, he did have a stellar career in Russia while playing in the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL), and the Hurricanes couldn’t wait to get Nikishin to North America. That said, however, does it justify an average annual value (AAV) of $8 million or more?

In a recent interview with RG Media, Nikishin spoke with reporter Daria Tuboltseva on several things between his first season in Raleigh, head coach Rod Brind’Amour, and, of course, the contract negotiations.

According to Tuboltseva, when she asked Nikishin about the rumors of him wanting $8 million per season, he smiled and said “more”. Now the question is: how much is “more” to the 24-year-old Russian? He just finished his two-year, $925,000 AAV entry-level contract (ELC). Going from a less than $1 million AAV to over $8 million seems like a ton from one year of NHL experience, along with being on the third defensive pairing most of last season.

For some, it is, and that might be why the Hurricanes aren’t in a rush to go there. They currently have $11.105 million left in cap space, more than enough to sign Nikishin to $8 million or slightly above if they wanted. However, for a team that wants to leave room for itself, it seems the ask from Nikishin and his camp is too high.

When asked about the negotiations, Nikishin said he’s trusting his agents to take care of it. “My agents handle that. I don’t push the situation much, they take care of everything themselves. If something concrete comes up, they’ll call me. Right now there’s nothing concrete about the contract.”

There have been rumors of a potential trade of the defenseman soon after winning the Stanley Cup, most recently with the New York Rangers and the St. Louis Blues leading the charge in that regard. Nikishin said that “I really didn’t react to that at all. Trade rumors are normal for us.”

Nikishin knows that contract values are going up due to the salary cap being at $104 million for the 2026-27 season, and will continue to do so with the league’s success and revenue. But the thing remains: while they are going up, does it make sense for the Hurricanes with only a one-year sample size?

When it comes down to it, it doesn’t make sense. Nikishin could be an $8 million or more defenseman in the NHL, but not right now. K’Andre Miller makes $7.5 million and Jaccob Slavin makes $6.936 million annually, and those guys have shown they’re worth that money. A deal within the $5 to $6.5 million range makes the most sense for Nikishin. The most likely best-case scenario is a bridge deal of three, maybe four years. Even then, would Nikishin want that?

Under the current collective bargaining agreement (CBA), he could still sign an eight-year deal before Sept. 15; then it’ll go down to a seven-year max. Regardless of the term, it’s the AAV where things are at an impasse.

While we are still 59 days from opening night for the Hurricanes, will something happen sooner rather than later? It’ll be interesting to see how all things shake out from both sides as the days tick away. We’re now officially in August and the last month without hockey. Could we see something done by September?