Unsigned RFA Alexander Nikishin to miss Hurricanes training camp
The reigning Stanley Cup champion Carolina Hurricanes are getting set to take the ice for training camp, but they’ll be doing so without a promising young player who remains under team control.
The team announced on Wednesday that unsigned restricted free agent defenseman Alexander Nikishin will not take part in training camp with his contract situation unsettled.
On Monday, NHL insider Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic reported that Nikishin had requested a trade upon the conclusion of the Hurricanes’ successful run in the Stanley Cup Playoffs and that his camp’s stance has not changed in the months since.
Even before a report of his trade request surfaced, the Hurricanes were reportedly looking to move him in a bid to upgrade their roster. NHL insider Frank Seravalli reported in June that he was the centerpiece of Carolina’s offer to the Winnipeg Jets to land disgruntled superstar goalie Connor Hellebuyck, and other reports have linked Nikishin to other teams, as well.
General manager Eric Tulsky, for his part, has acted decisively to add organizational depth on defense in preparation for the possibility that Nikishin does not return to the roster or fetch a replacement on the blue line in a trade.
With young, NHL ready defensemen already in the system in Joel Nystrom and Charles-Alexis Legault, Tulsky signed Mike Reilly, who served as Carolina’s seventh defenseman last season, and Pierre-Olivier Joseph to one-year contracts. That gives head coach Rod Brind’Amour four legitimate options to play alongside Shayne Gostisbehere on the team’s third defensive pairing.
Nikishin, the Hurricanes’ third-round pick in the 2020 NHL Draft, saw his stock skyrocket in the years following his selection, as he quickly became one of the biggest stars playing in the KHL in Russia. Nikishin signed his entry-level contract with Carolina upon the conclusion of his KHL contract, and he briefly debuted in the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs when injuries struck.
With a full-time opportunity in his rookie season in 2025-26, Nikishin notched 33 points in 81 regular season games, finishing seventh in the voting for the Calder Trophy as the NHL’s top rookie and earning a selection to the league’s All-Rookie team. The 24-year-old’s production took a step back in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, as he recorded just one point in 17 games throughout the Hurricanes’ Cup run.
