Coming off of a tight loss in Washington, many Carolina Hurricanes fans are still clambering to see top prospect Alexander Nikishin make his NHL debut this season.

The 23-year-old Russian blueliner, who had been regarded by many as the top player outside of North America, made his way to North America last month and has been practicing with the team ever since.

While he very likely could be the next man up should an injury occur, the team's simply not going to toss him in just to see if he can hold his own at this level without their hand being forced.

"I don't think you work in anyone at this time of year," said Hurricanes coach Rod Brind'Amour. "This is not the time to be experimental."

Nikishin was a top talent playing in the KHL, setting records and dominating the league for multiple seasons with his size, skill and senses, but he still has a lot to learn when it comes to playing in North America and more specifically, the Carolina Hurricanes' systems.

The major reason why the team wanted to get him over here as fast as possible, was so that they could begin that process of acclimating him sooner rather than later should the need for him arise.

"I don't think he came in here thinking he was taking somebody's job," Brind'Amour said. "I think he's just trying to get that learning curve up."

And the biggest learning curve for him is getting a better grasp on English.

"The language barrier is probably the biggest deterrent from just chucking him in because there's just so much communicating that goes on in a game and you just can't... one goal is the difference in a game and could be the difference in your playoffs," Brind'Amour said.

While many point to the natural ability and talent that Nikishin displayed in Russia, the truth of the matter is that the NHL is a totally different animal.

I mean, for one, Josh Leivo went from an AHL tweener to the KHL's all-time single-season scoring leader this season with a 49-goal campaign.

"We have a real good sense of where he is right now and obviously where he's gonna be," Brind'Amour said. "We love what the potential is with this player and just watching him in a practice setting, it's obviously all there.

"On the flipside, it's tough to throw someone in that really doesn't speak the language and all the thousand reads and quick switches and things that are going on in a game that has to be communicated. That's a tough ask and there's really no reason at this point to be changing the lineup. We definitely would love to see him. We'll see how it goes."

Be sure to check out the Carolina Hurricanes 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs Hub for all postseason stories!  

Stay updated with the most interesting Carolina Hurricanes stories, analysis, breaking news and more! Tap the star to add us to your favorites on Google News to never miss a story.