Get ready for another mid-round pick by the Carolina Hurricanes to become an impact player at the NHL level. Over the years, the team has made a habit of picking the right defender outside the first round, even if some call it a crap shoot at that point.
Brian Dumoulin was 51st overall in 2009. Justin Faulk 37th in 2010. Jaccob Slavin 120th in 2012. Brett Pesce 66th in 2013. Now, they believe they’ve found another.
In Pierre LeBrun’s latest piece for The Athletic, he mentions that the Hurricanes have made it clear in trade talks that Alexander Nikishin is off the table. The insider notes that Carolina sees a “big future” in mind for Nikishin.
Selected 69th overall in 2020, Nikishin was already playing in the KHL at the time. But when they picked him, he had scored just three points at that level and hadn’t really been dominant in junior. The following year was much the same, with just five points in 20 KHL games, but things changed suddenly.
In 2022 he was surprisingly chosen for the Russian Olympic roster. This year, after a transfer to powerhouse program SKA St. Petersburg, he leads all defensemen in scoring by a mile. His 51 points in 62 games put him tenth in the league, just four points behind league leader Dimitrj Jaskin.
Nikishin’s contract in Russia expires at the end of this season, meaning he could sign an entry-level deal with the Hurricanes. Even if his impact can’t be felt right away, the Hurricanes may have found someone to help take over some of the responsibility down the road. None of the team’s defenders are signed past 2024-25, with Pesce, Jalen Chatfield, and Brady Skjei scheduled for unrestricted free agency after next season.
As much as they may want to upgrade the roster right now, Nikishin is apparently too valuable to lose.