Carolina Hurricanes announce long-awaited signing of top defensive prospect
Highly-touted defenseman Alexander Nikishin is on his way to the Carolina Hurricanes.
The question now: How soon will the talented Russian defender play? More so, where will he best fit in the lineup when he does play?
Nikishin, 23, has been playing in Russia’s KHL and is considered by many who follow pro hockey as one of the best defensemen not in the NHL. His contract with SKA St. Petersburg of the KHL has been terminated, it was announced Friday by SKA, allowing Nikishin to sign with the Hurricanes and possibly make his NHL debut before the end of the regular season.
The Canes issued a statement Friday morning confirming Nikishin has signed a two-year, entry level contract that will pay $832,500 for the 2024-25 and 2025-26 seasons. He also received a signing bonus of $185,000.
“He has all the tools to be a very effective, all-around defenseman,” general manager Eric Tulsky said Friday on a media call. “He can play a very physical game. He’s a ferocious hitter. He has a good ability to manage and close gaps and can be a really effective defender. Offensively, he sees the ice really well. He can make plays, he has a strong shot.
“So he has all the tools to do everything you want. The question is when when it all come together, and we won’t know until we see him in our system.”
At 6-4 and 220 pounds, Nikishin has the size to compete physically and has the offensive capability to provide points from the blue line. A third-round draft pick by the Canes in 2020, he served as SKA’s team captain while playing 193 games, finishing with 157 points for St. Petersburg.
A member of Russia’s Olympic team in 2022, he won a silver medal.
The Hurricanes’ defensive pairings have remained set throughout the season: Jaccob Slavin and Brent Burns as the top pair, Dmitry Orlov with Jalen Chatfield, and Shayne Gostisbehere with Sean Walker. Scott Morrow, a former second-round pick by Carolina, has been in 10 games this season.
Canes coach Rod Brind’Amour said Saturday he was unsure when Nikishin might be able to get into the lineup.
“I don’t know about the player, but I’ve seen a few highlights and I’ve heard about him for a long time,” he said. “So I have no expectations on that player. We’ll see how it all transpires when he gets to North America.
“We’re excited for the prospect of what this player can be, but I don’t want to put too much in it yet.”
While the Canes would like to have Nikishin, a left-handed shot, available for one or both of the final two regular-season games -- at Montreal and then at Ottawa. -- before the Stanley Cup playoffs begin. There are, however, visa issues that must be resolved and Tulsky called it a “complicated process.”
“We have to get a U.S. visa,” Tulsky said. “That has to be placed into his passport, which happens at an embassy. There’s no U.S. embassy in Russia, so he has to travel to another country to do that. Then, he can come here.
“We’re working on a Canadian visa, in parallel, that also has some complications. We have hoped to have the U.S. visa by now. It could be any day now. At that point, we need a day or two to get the visa placed into his passport and get him here. Then it’s a question of when the Canadian visa comes in and whether it will be in time to play in those last two regular-season games.”
Tulsky, who has had a busy year, noted that Nikishin’s name often was mentioned by other teams in his many trade talks. Each time, he said no.
“It was constant. I think everybody in the league recognizes this is a player with very high potential who can help a team right away,” Tulsky said. “He was one of the first players we would get asked about, and obviously we were not interested in doing that.”
In an interview with sports site RG.org, Nikishin said he’s ready to jump in and play for the Canes, adding, “If it works out, I’d be thrilled and would give it everything I’ve got.”
“I know the competition is stiff but I’m ready,” he added in the interview. “I think I’m well-prepared. SKA got me ready.”
The Canes have four games remaining in the regular season, playing the New York Rangers and Toronto Maple Leafs at home and then finishing at Montreal and Ottawa. The Canes open the playoffs against the New Jersey Devils and clinched home-ice advantage in the first-round series Thursday by gaining one point from a 5-4 shootout loss to Washington.
One of Nikishin’s SKA teammates, forward Ivan Demidov, recently terminated his contract with SKA to join the Canadiens.
This story was originally published April 11, 2025 at 10:44 AM.
