The Carolina Hurricanes won their sixth consecutive NHL game on Tuesday evening with a 4-2 win over the Washington Capitals.
After the Capitals game, the Hurricanes’ transactions page was a busy one for a few different reasons.
First, Jordan Staal and Taylor Hall have both suffered injuries, which will test the depth of the Canes’ forward group.
Another interesting pop-up on the PuckPedia.com transactions page involved Alexander Nikishin, who has been ‘holding out’ while waiting for a new contract.
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Alexander Nikishin Lands On Injured, Non-Roster List
It’s a weird roster designation, but Alexander Nikishin popped up on the NHL transactions tracker with the following statement:
“Nikishin (contract dispute) is on the Carolina Hurricanes’ injured, non-roster list, per the NHL media site Wednesday.”
Very notably, the Hurricanes have been working on trying to find a trade partner to offload Nikishin, but there hasn’t been any traction in the last several weeks, and I guess it was finally time for the Hurricanes to make an official roster move with their 24 y/0 defenceman.
CBSSports.com’s RotoWire staff wrote:
“Nikishin hasn’t signed a new contract as a restricted free agent and has officially requested a trade, though nothing has materialized as of yet. Even if the young defenseman were on the roster, he may not be playing on a nightly basis, with Mike Reilly potentially ahead of him on the depth chart.”
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More on Alexander Nikishin Situation
The biggest roadblock in the Alexander Nikishin drama is his contract situation, which teams seem to be hesitant about giving him.
At this point, Nikishin is really hurting his own status by missing ice time, and as CBS notes, even if he does return to the fold for Carolina, who is to say he’s even going to get ample ice time.
It’s hard to say what Nikishin or the Hurricanes should do in this situation, but a team with little capable defensive depth (like the Kings) needs to step in and get a deal done for Nikishin ASAP, and figure out the contract details later.
He’s also too talented of a player to be wasted due to a contract dispute. Just because he hasn’t spent THAT much time in the NHL doesn’t mean he’s not an attractive piece that can help most blue lines.
Carolina Hurricanes Announce Interesting Alexander Niksihin Decision After Capitals Game