According to Pierre LeBrun of “The Athletic”, Carolina Hurricanes defenseman Alexander Nikishin has requested a change of scenery and that seems to be the issue with re-signing him.
Training camp starts next week and Nikishin, who is a restricted free agent, has still yet to be signed. The Hurricanes have total NHL rights to this player and no one else in the league
can sign him or submit an offer sheet, unless the Canes trade those rights.
Nikishin set a record for Carolina rookie defensemen by tallying 33 points last season. He also chipped in with 132 hits and 94 blocked shots, which placed him second on the Carolina blueline in both categories.
During the regular season, he averaged 18:11 of playing time per game, the lowest of the top six defensemen.
https://www.nhl.com/stats/skaters?report=realtime&reportType=season&seasonFrom=20252026&seasonTo=20252026&gameType=2&position=D&playerPlayedFor=franchise.26&sort=timeOnIcePerGame&page=0&pageSize=50
During the playoffs, that dropped to 14:50 per game.
The player obviously wants more playing time and a bigger role in Carolina and apparently does not see that happening anytime soon.
We will be watching.
