Alexander Nikishin Demands Trade From Hurricanes

After a summer's worth of rumors surrounding the Carolina Hurricanes' restricted free agent Alexander Nikishin about how they would find room to sign him, or whether he'd be traded, we finally have confirmation that he has officially requested a trade from the Stanley Cup champs.

Per @PierreVLeBrun, Alex Nikishin "requested a change of scenery" after the last season 🤯

He is still an unsigned RFA. pic.twitter.com/N1szDbblzE

— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) September 14, 2026

Insider Pierre LeBrun reports in The Athletic that the Russian D-man, coming off an excellent rookie season in the NHL, has asked out of Raleigh, as he pursues a massive long-term deal.  

The 24-year-old RFA requested a change of scenery after the season, and one thing that was made clear to me Monday is that the request remains in place.

As the offseason began, Nikishin had been looking for a contract of at least $8 million average annual value. But after the salary explosion of the summer, from Leo Carlsson's $18M AAV to Macklin Celebrini's $18.8M to Cale Makar's $20.4M, Nikishin's price has gone up. Way up. 

Those players, of course, aren't comps for him. But Carlsson and Celebrini were coming off their entry-level deal, as is Nikishin. How about the recent Zeev Buium extension, eight years at $9.38M AAV for the young Vancouver Canucks D-man coming off his rookie season. More of a comp for Nikishin? 

We'll see where Nikishin lands, both contract-wise and geographically. 

He posted 33 points and a +18 rating in his rookie season with the Cup champs, logging an average of 18:11 of ice time a night. His play and usage dropped off significantly in the playoffs. That, however, isn't dampening his asking price.