RALEIGH, N.C. — Raleigh’s Carolina Hurricanes finally have Alexander Nikishin back in the fold. The team announced Sunday that the 25-year-old defenseman signed a one-year contract worth $3 million, closing out a standoff that kept him away from the club for the first month of the season.
Nikishin was a restricted free agent and had not suited up for Carolina this season. He wanted a long-term deal with a bigger payday, and his name surfaced in trade talk while he sat out. Instead, the two sides settled on a short bridge contract.
General manager Eric Tulsky said in a team statement that the club was glad to have Nikishin rejoining the group after a drawn-out process, and that he expects the defenseman to step back into the locker room ready to help, as he did during last season’s championship run.
That run is a big part of why the deal matters. Nikishin was one of only a handful of players from last year’s Stanley Cup roster who had not returned. As a rookie he played 81 regular-season games and put up 11 goals and 22 assists for 33 points with a plus-18 rating, good enough for a spot on the league’s All-Rookie team. He also dressed for 17 of the 19 playoff games as Carolina won the second Cup in franchise history.
Carolina picked Nikishin in the third round of the 2020 draft, and at one point he was viewed as one of the top prospects in hockey. His return gives the blue line another option for a team that is already rolling. The Hurricanes are 9-2-2 and have 20 points after 13 games, the most of any NHL team.
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