The Seattle Kraken have been one of the surprise teams in the NHL so far this season.
But it’s way too soon to suggest that they’re for real.
Seattle is off to a solid 9-5-1 start this season, good for third in the Pacific Division. They began the season hot and managed to keep piling up wins, going 6-3-1 in their last 10 games.
The Kraken have also been hunting for upgrades, well, since the inception of their franchise. Last June, they tried to snag Jason Robertson from Dallas, until the Stars forward shot them down.
While this NHL player doesn’t have the same star power as Robertson, his potential fit with Seattle makes too much sense.
Alexander Nikishin linked to the Seattle Kraken
Carolina Hurricanes defenceman Alexander Nikishin may now be under contract, but he’s still not playing.
The saga between Nikishin and the Hurricanes continues to drag on. Although he was signed to a one-year, $3 million deal on Oct. 26, he’s yet to play a game for Carolina.
And honestly, for as good as Nikishin is, the Hurricanes don’t need him. They’re in a position where they can flip him for assets and push for a second straight Stanley Cup win. Canes general manager Eric Tulsky has also shown he’s not shy about trading for futures, and then using those in separate deals to improve the team.
Dave Pagnotta of The Fourth Period recently linked Nikishin to five teams, including the Seattle Kraken. The Nashville Predators, St. Louis Blues, New York Islanders, and New York Rangers were other teams listed.
What Seattle Could Trade for Nikishin
The Seattle Kraken are desperate to land another star player. Could they view Nikishin as that guy?
They’ve already shown a tendency to pay meaningful assets for players they believe in. During the offseason, Seattle made the somewhat surprising move of trading a first- and second-round pick to the Florida Panthers in exchange for underutilized forward Mackie Samoskevich. So far, that trade has paid off, as Samoskevich has six goals and 11 points in 14 games.
The Nikishin situation bears a lot of similarities to that one. Like Samoskevich, Nikishin should probably be playing in a more meaningful role, and certainly would be if he wasn’t buried on a Cup contender’s defence.
Seattle has the cap space to make this move (not that they need much, considering Nikishin’s $3 million salary). They also have the future assets, including two first-round picks in this year’s draft. Seattle holds their own first-round pick, and another that they received from a trade with the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Perhaps this trade looks like a slightly more juiced version of the Samoskevoch deal, where Seattle deals a first-round pick, a second-round pick, and one of their B-level prospects (like Lukas Dragicevic or Oscar Fisker Mølgaard).
Regardless, Seattle has the motivation to get this deal done, the cap space, and the assets.
Their top four on defence right now consists of three players 30 and older: Vince Dunn, Brandon Montour, and Adam Larsson, along with injured 28-year-old Ryan Lindgren.
Surely, they can give Nikishin the opportunity as well.
Surprise team emerges as ideal landing spot for Hurricanes’ Nikishin