As the 2026-27 NHL season approaches, Alexander Nikishin remains without a contract while under team control by the Carolina Hurricanes and will not be attending training camp.
One of the NHL's top restricted free agents will not be hitting the ice for training camp with the defending Stanley Cup champions.
Carolina Hurricanes general manager Eric Tulsky released a statement through the team's X account on Wednesday involving the status of RFA defenseman Alexander Nikishin.
"Alexander Nikishin is not under contract currently, so he will not be at camp when we hit the ice on Thursday. We won't be commenting further at this time."
While Nikishin is a restricted free agent, he is ineligible to sign an offer sheet after receiving a qualifying offer from the Hurricanes earlier this summer.
On Monday, The Athletic's Pierre LeBrun shed more light on Nikishin's situation, indicating that he asked to be moved. LeBrun also added that Nikishin has not backed off from that request.
According to PuckPedia, the Hurricanes currently have just over $8 million in cap space heading into the 2026-27 season, with Nikishin as their only player under team control without a contract.
Nikishin is coming off a productive rookie campaign, scoring 11 goals and finishing with 33 points in 81 games, finishing seventh in Calder Trophy voting as the NHL’s top rookie. His offensive production slowed down in the post-season, finishing with just one assist in 17 games for the Hurricanes en route to a Stanley Cup championship.
The 24-year-old was a third-round pick in the 2020 NHL Draft, selected 69th overall by the Hurricanes and spent five seasons in the KHL over in Russia before making his NHL debut in the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
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