The New York Rangers and the Carolina Hurricanes nearly pulled off a massive deal involving a young defenseman. However, the trade, for now, remains in the realm of what-if.
According to insider Elliotte Friedman, the defenseman in question is Alexander Nikishin.
During the Monday edition of the 32 Thoughts Podcast, New York had an agreement with Carolina that would have brought the RFA blueliner to Broadway. The deal, alas, did not go through as the Rangers could not agree on a contract with Nikishin before ultimately pulling the trigger.
“Nikishin was almost traded to the Rangers. They had a deal between the Hurricanes and the Rangers, and they couldn’t come to a contract agreement.”
It isn’t surprising to see that the contract situation would be the main sticking point. In fact, that’s been the only reason why the Hurricanes haven’t agreed to terms with their 24-year-old blueliner in the first place.
Friedman expanded on his thoughts by providing more insight into why the Rangers couldn’t sign Nikishin.
“I think Nikishin is looking for around, at least he was; the rumor before the (Zeev) Buium contract came in, was he was looking for around $9 million a year. And I just don’t think the Rangers got there. I don’t think they were far away, but I don’t think they got there.”
So, there’s no question that the Rangers remain interested in Nikishin. The issue, nonetheless, is that there may not be a way to agree to a new deal at least not at the moment. And until that happens, the trade could be stuck in limbo.
Nikishin With Permission to Speak to Other Teams
One of the other interesting points that Friedman made was that Nikishin’s camp has permission to speak with other teams. While the notable insider did not specify which teams or how many, it’s fair to say that the Rangers would be one of them.
That’s why one has to think that New York was close to pulling of what would have been a massive trade before the season began.
Nevertheless, the season is about to begin and there does not seem to be any resolution to the matter in sight. That’s why it wouldn’t be out of the question to see the Hurricanes just by their time and wait for things to fall into place.
Hurricanes Have Zero Pressure to Make Deal with Rangers or Anyone Else
There was one other point that Friedman made in the most recent edition of his show. The Hurricanes have zero pressure to make any sort of move involving Nikishin. The bottom line is that the organization is coming off a Stanley Cup championship, and the entire team is essentially back.
While there are some changes, they aren’t substantial enough to alter the team’s destiny in any meaningful way.
Hence, the Hurricanes have little to no incentive to make a deal for the sake of making one. GM Eric Tulsky will make the move whenever the right offer comes along.
Until then, Alexander Nikishin will likely sit in a state of suspended animation until something happens, one way or the other.
Rangers Nearly Acquired Alexander Nikishin Before Deal Fell Apart