Hurricanes RFA Alex Nikishin linked to Western Conference team

The Carolina Hurricanes get ready for the 2026-27 season with a problem on their hands. Carolina has a restricted free agent in defenseman Alex Nikishin. The Hurricanes haven’t been able to re-sign the defenseman, and it appears at least one other NHL team is interested in signing him.

That team is the Nashville Predators, per Pro Hockey Rumors and Sportsnet Canada.

“On paper, Nashville doesn’t appear to have a significant immediate financial advantage over the Hurricanes, as their $9.7MM in cap space, per PuckPedia, isn’t all that much higher than Carolina’s cap space. But long-term, they do have considerably greater flexibility on their back-end,” Pro Hockey Rumors reported.

Nashville finished the 2025-26 season with 86 points. The Predators missed the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Alex Nikishin had a solid season with the Hurricanes

Nikishin played in 81 games for the Hurricanes during the 2025-26 regular season. He posted 33 points, and finished with an impressive plus-minus of +18 on the campaign. Carolina would go on to win the Stanley Cup over the Vegas Golden Knights.

“For three years, he was one of the best defensemen in the KHL with SKA St. Petersburg, twice leading the league in scoring by blueliners,” Pro Hockey Rumors added.

The Hurricanes have quite a few defensemen right now. It has presented a challenge to the team this summer, as they look to finalize roster moves for the upcoming campaign.

“The Hurricanes have made moves in recent days to shore up the depth of their blueline, inking two experienced left-shot defensemen in Pierre-Olivier Joseph and Mike Reilly to one-year contracts. Those deals mean the club has the flexibility to trade Nikishin without necessarily needing to receive an NHL-ready defenseman in return. Again, those moves are no guarantee that Carolina will trade Nikishin, but they are notable,” the outlet added.

Carolina starts NHL preseason games on September 20, against the Florida Panthers. Time will tell what happens with Nikishin in the days ahead.