The Toronto Maple Leafs may be on the verge of making another blockbuster trade with the Carolina Hurricanes in a surprising development.
24-year-old defenceman Alexander Nikishin has reportedly requested a trade from the Carolina Hurricanes following the 2025-26 Stanley Cup season, according to NHL insider Pierre LeBrun. Nikishin is currently sitting out of the Hurricanes lineup, as he does not have an active contract and remains a restricted free agent (RFA).
Alexander Nikishin is on the Open Market
The Hurricanes reportedly offered Nikishin an 8-year contract with an average annual value between $5.5 and $6 million. The Russian defenceman is looking for a shorter-term deal with an higher annual value, according to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman. It has also been reported that the Los Angeles Kings have shown interest in Nikishin.
The Maple Leafs are coming off a blockbuster trade with the Columbus Blue Jackets that included Matthew Knies heading to Columbus for Kirill Marchenko; there were also other pieces in the deal, such as Elvis Merzļikins and Miles Wood heading to the Maple Leafs, while Toronto sent Steven Lorentz, Emil Andrae and a 2nd-round pick to the Blue Jackets. Elliotte Friedman reported on 32 Thoughts the Podcast that the Maple Leafs were not quite done making moves, as they attempted to move on from Miles Wood shortly after the trade.
John Chayka has been aggressive since joining the Maple Leafs as their general manager, and it may look to be in their favour if they try to acquire the Hurricanes defenceman. He has virtually turned over half the roster and has brought in names that include Darren Raddysh, Sergei Bobrovsky, Nick Paul, and most recently Marchenko. With the Maple Leafs recently clearing up seven million dollars in salary cap placing Max Domi and Dakota Joshua on long-term injury reserve there may be some wiggle room to make this happen.
Nikishin Fills Gap on Maple Leafs Blueline
The Maple Leafs’ biggest area for improvement currently sits on the defensive side of the puck. With Emil Andrae moving on from the Maple Leafs earlier this week, the Maple Leafs still need a reliable puck-moving defenceman, which is what Nikishin could bring to the lineup.
Nikishin was a solid defender for the Hurricanes, having a strong rookie season, recording 31 points in 81 games, while having a time on ice of 18:11, while playing in tough situations throughout the postseason. The difficult part of all this would be the Maple Leafs’ assets; they would likely have to move on from one of their defenceman ideally Morgan Rielly or Ben Danford. The Hurricanes may ask for a forward prospect or an NHL-caliber player, as they are still in their championship window.
The Maple Leafs simply may not have the assets to make another significant deal in this scenario. If Chayka can become creative, this could be a deal that is worth making for the Maple Leafs; they fill gaps within their blueline and bring in more firepower to an already solid roster.
Maple Leafs Could Be on the Verge of Another Blockbuster Trade