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Alexander Nikishin

Carolina Hurricanes Lineup Updates For Game 4

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The roster for the Carolina Hurricanes won’t look much different for Game 4. Earlier today, the team (via Walt Ruff) shared that defenseman Jalen Chatfield and Sean Walker remain out with undisclosed injuries, meaning Alexander Nikishin and Scott Morrow will maintain their spots in the lineup.

Unfortunately, neither defenseman has filled in well for the flailing Hurricanes. Morrow, who’s only postseason experience came through the first three contests of the Eastern Conference Final, has gone scoreless with a -5 rating, averaging 12:04 of ice time per night. Meanwhile, who’s only two games into his NHL career, has also gone scoreless with a -4 rating.

That’s not to say Carolina’s current predicament rests solely on their shoulders. The Hurricanes have struggled through the series’ first three games, having been outscored by 12. There is an argument that some bounces haven’t gone Carolina’s way, but it doesn’t account for that deficit. Carolina has nearly half the penalty minutes of the Panthers, has won 56.3% of the faceoffs, and is scoring at a 27.3% clip on the power play.

Head coach Rod Brind’Amour hopes that another goaltending switch will reignite the team. Passing along a note from Brind’Amour, Chip Alexander of the Raleigh News & Observer reports that Frederik Andersen will reprise his role as the team’s starter tonight.

Many will credit Andersen for the Hurricanes’ run to the Eastern Conference Final. The veteran netminder had managed a .937 SV% against the New Jersey Devils and Washington Capitals through his first nine games of the 2025 Stanley Cup playoffs.

Still, Carolina didn’t get that same netminder through the first two games of the Eastern Conference Final. The Panthers were calculated in their offense against Andersen, limiting the netminder to only 27 saves on 36 shots for a .750 SV%. No matter the case, there’s no more room for the Hurricanes, as they enter tonight’s contest one loss away from elimination.

Hurricanes’ Jalen Chatfield Remains Day-To-Day

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Hurricanes coach Rod Brind’Amour said defenseman Jalen Chatfield is progressing with his undisclosed injury but remains day-to-day and is questionable for Game 2 against the Panthers, per Kurt Dusterberg of NHL.com.

Brind’Amour noted over the weekend that he was hopeful that the 29-year-old would be ready for the Eastern Conference Final opener after missing the final game against the Capitals, but Chatfield wasn’t able to go. The last time Chatfield was able to suit up was Game 4 of the second round on May 12. While Chatfield was a full participant at Tuesday’s practice and skated today, Brind’Amour noted Chatfield has not yet been cleared to return to the lineup.

As Brind’Amour stated: “All the athletes want to play; if they’re not capable, they’re not capable. I think today he is better. I would put him more day to day now, so that’s a good sign.”

The Canes appeared to miss Chatfield’s presence in Game 1 against the Panthers, where they gave up five goals in the loss. Chatfield averaged a career high of 18:53 of ice time per game during the regular season, and that figure has climbed to 20:24 during the playoffs. He has contributed one goal and a plus-six rating in nine playoff games thus far. Rookie Scott Morrow filled in for Chatfield in Game 1 but struggled, finishing with a minus-3 rating in just 12:19 of ice time.

The 22-year-old has just 16 NHL games of experience, making the moment a lot to ask of the 2021 second-round pick. However, he has showcased success in his brief experience during the regular season, posting six points and a plus-four rating in 14 games this season. Alexander Nikishin also made his NHL debut in Game 5 against the Capitals, and gives the Canes another talented, yet inexperienced defender to consider.

Jalen Chatfield Out For Game 5, Alexander Nikishin Making NHL Debut

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The Hurricanes will be without depth defenseman Jalen Chatfield for a potential series-clinching Game 5 due to an undisclosed injury, per the team’s Walt Ruff. That means top defense prospect Alexander Nikishin will be making his NHL debut tonight after signing before the postseason.

Nikishin will debut on his natural left side on a pairing with countryman Dmitry Orlov, who Ruff relays will slide over to his offside. Orlov and the righty Chatfield have been partners all year long, so there’s no domino effect on Carolina’s other defense units.

As for Chatfield, he tweaked something near the end of Game 4 and didn’t practice yesterday. While head coach Rod Brind’Amour said yesterday he didn’t expect Chatfield to miss time, he told Canes beat reporter Adam Gold earlier today that Chatfield had been downgraded to being a game-time decision. It’s worth noting Chatfield’s gone three games without hitting the 20-minute mark after doing so in four straight. He has one goal and a plus-six rating in nine games this postseason – the latter figure is tied for the team lead.

Nikishin’s long-awaited NHL debut comes nearly five years after Carolina selected him in the third round of the 2020 draft. The 23-year-old Russian has grown into a dominant rearguard in his home country in the past few years, routinely being dubbed the best defenseman outside the NHL. Standing at 6’4″ and 216 lbs, Nikishin had somewhat of a down year in 2024-25 with a 17-29–46 scoring line in 61 games for SKA St. Petersburg but led Kontinental Hockey League defensemen in scoring the two years prior.

A dominant two-way presence, Nikishin begins the NHL phase of his career after recording 177 points and a +71 rating in 288 KHL games with SKA and Spartak Moscow. Virtually guaranteed a left-side spot next year with Orlov’s contract expiring, tonight will be an important trial run for the youngster as he settles into NHL minutes in what’s a pretty safe scenario for Carolina, up 3-1 over the Capitals with a chance at the Eastern Conference Final on the line.

Hurricanes Officially Register Alexander Nikishin’s Contract

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On Friday, a representative for Hurricanes prospect Alexander Nikishin expressed some frustration that his contract had yet to be registered with the NHL despite being agreed to in principle before the playoffs.  While it took longer than expected, it is now done as team reporter Walt Ruff relays (Twitter link) that the contract has been made official.  As expected, the deal begins this season, making him eligible to play in the playoffs.

GM Eric Tulsky also released the following statement:

“We had agreed with his agents to keep the options open for Alex to potentially play a game in Chicago at some point. But with their season now over, it makes sense to officially register an NHL contract for him, and we are excited for his future with the team.”

It was initially believed that Nikishin, one of the top blueliners outside the NHL in recent seasons, would make an immediate impact in Carolina’s lineup.  But when the coaching staff determined he wouldn’t be in their top six to start the postseason, the Hurricanes kept their options open in case they wanted Nikishin to get a game or two in with AHL Chicago on a tryout deal before registering the deal.  Chicago fell 5-0 to Rockford on Friday, ending their best-of-three series in a sweep so that option is no longer on the table, meaning there was no reason to delay things further.

The 23-year-old had 17 goals and 29 assists in 61 games with SKA St. Petersburg of the KHL this season, a point total that was actually a bit lower than the last couple of years when he had 55 in 2022-23 and 56 in 2023-24.  He also logged more than 24 minutes a night while playing in all situations.  Head coach Rod Brind’Amour may not want to mess with a group that has gotten out to a two-to-one series lead on New Jersey just yet but now with Nikishin’s deal officially on the books, he has a very intriguing option to turn to at some point this postseason.

Alexander Nikishin’s Camp Unhappy With Delay In Registering Contract

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5:00 PM: Nikishin’s North American-based agent, Ryan Barnes, downplayed Demidov’s comments per Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman. Per Friedman, Barnes shared that Nikishin’s camp continues to work on a deal with the Hurricanes – and chalked Demidov’s comments up to Nikishin’s Russian representation being eager to see him at the top flight. The additional comments may not totally alleviate the tension between Nikishin and a lineup role, but they will ease fans’ worries of a star prospect being traded.

11:30 AM: The relationship between the Hurricanes and star defense prospect Alexander Nikishin is off to a rocky start. While they announced they agreed to terms on an entry-level contract two weeks ago and Nikishin said he was “thrilled” to have the opportunity to join Carolina in the playoffs, general manager Eric Tulsky said Wednesday they’ve yet to register Nikishin’s contract with the league.

There was a fairly simple explanation for that – there’s no rush to insert Nikishin into a lineup that’s dominated through two games against the Devils, and leaving the contract unsigned makes Nikishin eligible to get some AHL postseason action in with their affiliate in Chicago. Nonetheless, the delay in signing has been frustrating to Nikishin and his representation.

“Carolina is behaving incomprehensibly, and not only for us, but for scouts and representatives of other NHL clubs,” agent Alexander Chernykh told Olesya Usova of RB Sport (translated from Russian). “Everyone is shocked and outraged. But, as I was told, this never surprises, because Carolina always behaves like this and with everyone. At the moment, we cannot comment on the situation, because the club’s actions defy common sense. If this continues, Alexander will either go back, or we will ask for a trade.”

That’s certainly a troubling statement regarding the 23-year-old Nikishin, who’s expected to be a key part of Carolina’s defense core next season with Brent Burns and Dmitry Orlov slated to become unrestricted free agents. The 6’4″, 216-lb lefty was a third-round pick in 2020 and has been widely regarded as the top defenseman outside of the NHL over the past couple of years. He dominated his native Russia since his breakout 2022-23 campaign, recording 157 points in 193 games with a +70 rating over the last three years for SKA St. Petersburg.

Tulsky said that there wouldn’t be an issue in registering the contract if Nikishin’s services were needed in short order, but waiting to register the deal delays the payout of his $92.5K signing bonus and, obviously, impedes his ability to earn the $1.038MM performance bonus in his deal for winning playoff MVP honors, however unlikely that would have been.

Metro Notes: Ansons, Flyers, Nikishin

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According to Seth Rorabaugh of the Tribune-Review, the Pittsburgh Penguins are unlikely to issue forward prospect Raivis Ansons his $813K qualifying offer this summer. Ansons would become an unrestricted free agent for the first time in his career and would be a candidate to return overseas to continue his professional career.

The Penguins selected Ansons with the 149th overall pick in the 2020 NHL Draft from the QMJHL’s Baie-Comeau Drakkar. Ansons scored 13 goals and 35 points in 60 games during his draft year, and Pittsburgh believed he could be a long-term candidate in the bottom-six of the team’s forward group.

After a year in his native Latvia and a return trip to the QMJHL, Ansons signed his entry-level contract with the Penguins in 2022 and played for their AHL affiliate, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. Unfortunately, his time in the AHL has been nothing short of a disaster, as Ansons has only managed five goals and 14 points in 87 career contests. Coupled with an undisclosed injury that limited him to nine games this year, the Penguins organization is seemingly ready to move on from one of their recent draft choices.

Other notes from the Metro Division:

  • Although General Manager Daniel Brière would like to add more pieces than he subtracts this offseason for the Philadelphia Flyers, don’t expect them to be wild spenders. Anthony Di Marco of DailyFaceoff writes that Brière will only look for specific areas of need, rather than go after the market’s biggest fish. The only hypothetical option Di Marco listed was Brock Nelson of the Colorado Avalanche on a three-year deal, given the Flyers’ need for centers. Meanwhile, although the team may like to improve their disappointing goaltending, Di Marco doesn’t believe Brière will be interested in any of the options on the free-agent market.
  • Despite having his entry-level contract reported two weeks ago, Alexander Nikishin has yet to play a game in the Carolina Hurricanes organization. Much of that can be explained away due to his visa issues, however, Cory Lavalette of the North State Journal passed along a note from Carolina General Manager Eric Tulsky indicating Nikishin hasn’t signed his entry-level contract yet. Fortunately, Tulsky pointed out they’re merely working out the deal’s finer points, and the organization doesn’t feel rushed to add Nikishin to a lineup that has won the first two games of their Round One series against the New Jersey Devils.

Metro Notes: Kreider, Ferschweiler, Nikishin, Pelech, Romanov

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Despite being mentioned in trade rumors for much of the season, New York Rangers forward Chris Kreider spent the entire year in the Big Apple. Don’t expect Kreider’s name to disappear from the trade wire as The Fourth Period reports the Rangers will again look to move their veteran sniper this offseason.

He’ll become mildly more tradeable this summer, having two years and $13MM remaining on his contract. Still, factoring in multiple injuries from this season and the declining foot speed, it’s difficult to say how much interest Kreider will generate.

The Rangers will technically have the opportunity to retain salary if they desire, but it’s likely a non-starter from their perspective. As the article in The Fourth Period mentions, the primary reason for moving Kreider is to shed salary in preparation for K’Andre Miller and William Cuylle’s new deals.

Additional happenings from the Metropolitan Division:

  • As the 2024-25 season closes, the pursuit of a new head coach is ramping up for the Philadelphia Flyers. In that vein, Kevin Kurz of The Athletic reports that Pat Ferschweiler, the head coach of the NCAA’s Western Michigan University Broncos, could be on the Flyers’ radar this summer. Ferschweiler has been the Broncos’ head coach for the last four seasons and recently guided the team to its first National Championship in program history. He’s only had one NHL opportunity in his professional coaching career, being the assistant coach for the Detroit Red Wings from 2015-16 to 2018-19.
  • The Carolina Hurricanes should only be a few days away from their top defensive prospect joining the team for their postseason run. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported that Alexander Nikishin has officially received approval for his work visa in the United States. That leaves an appointment at the U.S. Embassy in Istanbul on his to-do list before being allowed to play for the Hurricanes. In a perfect world, Carolina would likely want Nikishin to get an NHL game under his belt before the playoffs start, but that’s unlikely to be the case given that their regular season will conclude on April 17.
  • Although the New York Islanders failed to make the playoffs for the second time in four years, they received positive news on the injury front this morning. Stefen Rosner of The Hockey News reported that despite entering concussion protocol after leaving Sunday’s game due to a hit from New Jersey Devils forward Paul Cotter, defenseman Adam Pelech “is fine” and suited up for the Islanders tonight against the Capitals. Pelech is no stranger to injuries, having only appeared in 60 of New York’s 81 contests this season.
  • Unfortunately, not every usual defenseman for the Islanders suited up in tonight’s contest, as the team shared just before puck drop that defenseman Alexander Romanov is out of the lineup due to illness. Depth defender Scott Perunovich is filling the Romanov-sized void this evening. He’s tallied three assists in nine games for the Islanders since being acquired from the St. Louis Blues on January 27th.

Hurricanes, Alexander Nikishin Agree To Entry-Level Contract

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2:19 p.m.: As reported by PuckPedia, a fair amount of additional bonuses are available to Nikishin in his entry-level contract. As reported by Johnston earlier, the Hurricanes will pay Nikishin a $1.0375MM bonus should he win the Conn Smythe Trophy this postseason. Additionally, Carolina will pay Performance ’A’ bonuses up to $1MM and Performance ’B’ bonuses up to $2MM should Nikishin meet the criteria. As a side note on where he’ll immediately report, the team shared that Nikishin would play for their AHL affiliate, the Chicago Wolves, should he fail to acquire a work visa from the Canadian government for their upcoming matchups next week against the Montreal Canadiens and Ottawa Senators.

9:17 a.m.: The Hurricanes announced Nikishin’s two-year deal for this season and next as official. He’ll earn a base salary of $832.5K each year, prorated for 2024-25, as well as an annual signing bonus of $92.5K. Chris Johnston of The Athletic reports the contract includes a performance bonus if he wins this year’s Conn Smythe Trophy, similar to what Montreal’s Ivan Demidov and Washington’s Ryan Leonard have landed in their deals to increase the performance bonuses they’re eligible for in the second year of the contract.

7:28 a.m.: Top Hurricanes defense prospect Alexander Nikishin will be finishing the season in Carolina. SKA St. Petersburg of the Kontinental Hockey League announced this morning they’ve mutually terminated their contract with Nikishin, set to expire May 31, and will allow him to sign an NHL contract with the Hurricanes beginning this season. As expected, SKA will retain his KHL rights if he opts to return to his home country.

Selected by Carolina in the third round of the 2020 draft, Nikishin arrives in the NHL with a resume most first-round picks would love to have – even if he’s only signing his first contract at age 23. The 6’4″, 214-lb lefty established himself as arguably the best defenseman outside of the league a few years ago, dominating the KHL since his breakout season with SKA in 2022-23. He’s scored 45-112–157 in 193 games over the last three years, leading KHL rearguards by a wide margin.

Nikishin has also served as SKA’s captain since the 2023-24 season and claimed the league’s assist crown with 44 in 65 games back in 2022-23, beating out every KHL forward as well. He’s posted a cumulative +71 rating across his six total KHL seasons, including a league-high +32 mark in 2023-24.

This year was somewhat of a down season for Nikishin and SKA, but that’s easy to overlook with his overall resume as one of the KHL’s youngest superstars. He still managed 17 goals, tying his career high, and added 29 assists for 46 points in 61 games while ranking third on the club with a +19 rating. Nikishin also appeared on Russia’s Olympic squad in 2022 as a 20-year-old, although he didn’t register a point in six appearances.

Nikishin is eligible for a two-year ELC, so he’ll join the Canes immediately and be a restricted free agent in the summer of 2026. Where he fits down the stretch with Shayne Gostisbehere, Dmitry Orlov, and Jaccob Slavin ahead of him on the depth chart among lefties in Carolina remains to be seen, but he hopes to see action in at least one of the Canes’ final regular season games before the postseason begins. “If it were possible, I’d be ready to play tomorrow,” Nikishin told Sergey Demidov of Responsible Gambling. “If it works out, I’d be thrilled and would give it everything I’ve got.”

Still, his signing is far more impactful for next season. Nikishin will almost certainly step into Orlov’s role as the latter hits unrestricted free agency, giving the club north of $6.75MM in savings in cap room to spend elsewhere. Orlov has only averaged 18:32 per game for Carolina since signing there in 2023, minutes Nikishin should be able to easily swallow out of the gate without being overtaxed.

Even if he begins as a No. 7 option for the Hurricanes in the postseason, that gives them a level of insurance at the position few other teams have. He was ranked as the organization’s top prospect by NHL.com last offseason, and general manager Eric Tulsky said last August he expected to be able to land Nikishin immediately after his KHL season ended.

Hurricanes Expect To Have Alexander Nikishin Play For Them Late In 2024-25

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Hurricanes prospect Alexander Nikishin has widely been viewed as one of the top blueliners outside the NHL for a couple of years now.  While he still has one year left on his KHL contract with SKA St. Petersburg, Carolina expects to have the youngster available to them at some point late in the season.

Speaking earlier this week with NHL.com’s Tom Gulitti, GM Eric Tulsky indicated that they plan to sign him as soon as his deal in Russia expires and put him into their lineup right away.  KHL playoffs run through April and SKA is generally one of the better teams in that league so it’s quite possible that Nikishin won’t be able to make his Carolina debut until the end of April (if he’s let out of his contract early once the KHL playoffs end) or early May, meaning they’d have to have some playoff success of their own for this to happen.

The 22-year-old was the 69th selection back in 2020 and has squarely outperformed where he was picked.  He became a full-time player at the KHL level the following season with Spartak before being acquired by SKA in 2022 where things took off.

In his first season with them, Nikishin picked up 55 points in 65 regular season games which made him the highest-scoring KHL blueliner while also logging nearly 23 minutes a game.  Last season, he produced at basically the same clip, notching 17 goals and 39 assists in 67 contests, once again leading all rearguards in points while logging over 24 minutes a night.  While Carolina is surely intrigued by Nikishin’s offensive upside, Gulitti notes that they view him as a potential all-around fit.

With Nikishin turning 23 in October, his entry-level deal will have to be a two-year agreement, the first of which will be burned this coming season if he’s able to sign with and suit up for Carolina.  That would put him on pace for what many expect will be a pricey second contract in the 2026 offseason.

Carolina has had some turnover on the back end this summer with Brady Skjei (Nashville), Brett Pesce (New Jersey), and Tony DeAngelo (unsigned) all leaving via free agency.  Their replacements haven’t been as notable on paper with Sean Walker and Shayne Gostisbehere signing on with the other spot going unfilled.  It appears they could be eyeing Nikishin for that position which could give their back end a boost in the playoffs, as long as they’re still playing when their top prospect becomes available to be signed.

Hurricanes Notes: Offseason Priorities, Nikishin, DeAngelo

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Hurricanes general manager Don Waddell was quite transparent while giving his end-of-season media availability today ahead of what will be a hectic offseason in Carolina. He’s already got one big-ticket item checked off after the team got head coach Rod Brind’Amour and his staff locked into long-term extensions over the weekend, allowing him to focus on retooling a roster with multiple high-profile pending free agents.

One area he’d like to add from outside the organization is a right-shot center (via the Raleigh News & Observer’s Chip Alexander). All five of their routine faceoff-takers this season were left-handed, although their performance on draws wasn’t an area of concern (52.6 FOW%). It does give some insight into potential UFA targets the Hurricanes will speak to, with Elias Lindholm, Jack Roslovic and Tyler Johnson among the top right-shot centers available.

In terms of retaining his UFAs on expiring deals, Waddell said that keeping his group of defensemen intact is one of his top priorities. “We haven’t sat down to prioritize player by player, but we know we’d like to try to keep as much of our defense together. We think we have one of the best d-corps in the league,” he said (via the team’s Walt Ruff). Among their top six players at the position, Jalen Chatfield, Brett Pesce and Brady Skjei are without contracts next season. Chatfield may be a solid bet to re-sign, but Skjei is arguably the highest-value defenseman on the market and reports last week indicated Pesce has likely priced himself out of Carolina.

When asked about his situation between the pipes, Waddell also wouldn’t rule out trading one of his three netminders under one-way contracts next season (Frederik Andersen, Pyotr Kochetkov, Spencer Martin). He stopped short of saying they were actively seeking to make a move to upgrade after Andersen cooled off with a .895 SV% in 10 postseason games but did say they would explore a move if an opportunity to improve at the position arose. Moving the 24-year-old Kochetkov is likely out of the question – he made a career-high 42 appearances for the Canes in the regular season with a strong .911 SV% and is signed for three more seasons at a $2MM cap hit.

Elsewhere out of Carolina:

  • Waddell also said the team remains interested in bringing over defenseman Alexander Nikishin from Russia for next season and would like to get him signed before the NHL Draft next month (via the North State Journal’s Cory Lavalette). Nikishin, still just 22, is already an Olympic medalist and has led Kontinental Hockey League defensemen in scoring in each of the past two seasons. He’s still under contract with SKA St. Petersburg through next season, though, and would need to buy himself out of the deal to join Carolina. He was named the team’s captain in 2023-24, responding with 17 goals and 56 points in 67 games with a +32 rating. The 6’4″ left-shot defender could comfortably step into a top-four role next season to ease the potential loss of Pesce and/or Skjei.
  • Depth blue-liner Tony DeAngelo, also a UFA in July, needs hand surgery this summer, Waddell revealed (via Lavalette). After he was bought out by the Flyers last summer, the Hurricanes brought him back for his second stint with the club but used him sparingly during the regular season, playing him for a career-low 14:20 per game in 31 appearances. He stepped into the lineup during their postseason run after Pesce sustained an injury early in the first round against the Islanders, posting two assists and a -1 rating in nine games while averaging 17:03 per game. There’s no timeline for his recovery, but he’s low on Waddell’s list of pending UFAs to re-sign regardless.

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