Carolina Hurricanes general manager Eric Tulsky confirmed on Wednesday that unsigned RFA defenceman Alexander Nikishin will not be at training camp on Thursday.
Tulsky added that the team won’t be commenting further at this time.
Pierre LeBrun confirmed in The Athletic on Sept. 14 that Nikishin requested a trade from the Hurricanes following the 2025-26 season.
As a rookie last season, Nikishin scored 11 goals with 33 points in 81 regular-season games. In the playoffs, he had one assist in 17 games as he helped the Hurricanes win the Stanley Cup. He was named to the NHL’s All-Rookie Team.
The 24-year-old made his NHL debut during the 2024-25 playoffs, notching one assist in four games.
Drafted in the third round (69th overall) by Carolina in 2020, Nikishin played 288 career games in the KHL and was the highest-scoring defenceman two years in a row (2022-23 and 2023-24).
He is coming off his two-year, entry-level contract.
Nikishin helped the Russian Olympic Committee earn silver at the 2022 Winter Olympics.
