The Carolina Hurricanes have signed defenceman Alexander Nikishin to a one-year, $3 million contract, it was announced Sunday evening.
Nikishin had asked for a trade this past summer but the Hurricanes had been trying to convince him to sign a one-year contract, allowing both sides to re-visit things in the off-season if he still wanted out, TSN Hockey Insider Pierre LeBrun wrote in a post on X.
LeBrun adds that he will also be eligible for an offer sheet next summer. He had not been during the recent stalemate.
“We’re glad that Alexander is returning to our group,” said Hurricanes general manager Eric Tulsky in a news release.
“This has been a long process, but we look forward to him re-entering our locker room ready to contribute with the Hurricanes, as he did during a Stanley Cup championship season last year.”
The Hurricanes drafted Nikishin in the third round in 2020, but he did not make his NHL debut until the 2024-25 postseason. He then tallied 11 goals and 33 points in 81 games last season, and appeared in 17 postseason games as the Hurricanes captured the Stanley Cup.
He played six seasons in the KHL with Spartak Moskva and SKA St. Petersburg prior to joining the Hurricanes, totaling 54 goals and 177 points in 288 combined regular-season games.