Hurricanes Will Struggle to Replace Nikishin’s Skillset if He Remains Unsigned

Alexander Nikishin has been in the rumour mill lately. Whether you believe talks between him and the Hurricanes are going well or not, the Hurricanes have yet to sign the Russian defenseman. The all-rookie team defenseman was a key part of the Hurricanes’ regular-season success that helped them build their way to the Stanley Cup back in June. With the Russian still unsigned, the Hurricanes must begin preparing for a scenario in which Nikishin is not on the roster.

That’s extremely difficult. With 11 goals and 22 assists for 33 points in 81 games, he added some key offence. It’s also worth noting that no defenseman played more for the Hurricanes last season than the former SKA St Petersburg captain. While his playoffs were broadly underwhelming, the Hurricanes relied heavily on their depth, both on the blueline and among the forward core, to get them over the hump to hockey’s Holy Grail. Replacing him is a big task.

Offensive Production

Nikishin’s 33 points were the third-best among Hurricanes defensemen, only behind Shayne Gostisbehere and K’Andre Miller. 30 points by a defenseman, let alone a rookie, third-pairing defenseman, is no small feat. That’s a lot of production Carolina needs to atone for on the backend. However, it’s not as big an issue as replacing the stability of a player who was available for all 82 games in a season when Carolina’s blueline was riddled with injuries.

Beyond the stats, Nikishin has that deadly slapshot from the point. NHL EDGE has his highest shot speed of the season at 99.40 mph. There were times this season when Nikishin was shooting from the edge of the neutral zone, just before crossing the blueline, because his shot is so heavy that it creates massive rebounds. It was a genuine threat Carolina could exploit if entering the zone was difficult. He is also one of the few Hurricanes capable of laying an explosive hit, again highlighting his raw strength.

Analytically, Nikishin was a master in the regular season. According to Natural Stat Trick, his goals against per 60 (GA/60) was the lowest of the six regulars on the blueline for Carolina, and the third-best of the eight defensemen who played at least 200 minutes. His expected goals against per 60 (xGA/60) was on the higher end, as the second-worst, better than only Jalen Chatfield. It means the Hurricanes could find a way to improve on the Russian defensively, should they opt to go down that route.

Where Nikishin earned his money was his analytical offence. His expected goals for per 60 (xGF/60) was 3.25, the highest among the six who played the bulk of the playoff games for Carolina. He’s a gifted offensive defenseman, as highlighted by his production. It’s not an easy skill set to replace. If Nikishin isn’t available for the beginning of the season, Carolina will need to find a way to live without it.

Coping Without Nikishin

One possible solution is luck-based for Carolina. If they can keep Gostisbehere on the ice more than in the 2025-26 season, he will naturally take the bulk of the offensive workload Nikishin produced. He might not have the raw power of Nikishin, but he’s still an extremely capable offensive defender and a power play quarterback. Even if it’s only an improvement of 15-20 points from the Ghost Bear, Carolina’s roster replacement can be someone with no offensive expectation, meaning the fit is much easier. Replacing players in the aggregate is something the Hurricanes love to do.

As for replacing Nikishin if he isn’t here, there are many young players in the AHL chomping at the bit to get onto the Hurricanes roster. Joel Nystrom is a great example of a kid who deserves an NHL shot. Still, with players like Charles Alexis Legault and even Jusso Valimaki in the AHL, Carolina will have options. The problem is that none of them is as gifted offensively or offers the same size and strength as Nikishin. The Hurricanes can fill the roster spot, but the solutions all seem to leave a Nikishin-shaped hole in the skillset of the blueline.

Legault seems like the best fit for a physical standpoint. He’s more than willing to get into scrums and throw punches. He can lay big hits, and he does help fix the awkward double left-handed third pairing. The problem is that he doesn’t offer the explosive shot of Nikishin, or the offense the Russian generates. He’d be there purely as a physical presence, and that isn’t enough to justify him as a replacement.

To boil it down, the Hurricanes cannot replace Nikishin. He’s unique due to his physicality, offensive skillset, ability to play shorthanded, power play, and 5-on-5, and his raw strength. The question becomes, can the Hurricanes replace what Nikishin does and what he offers as a team instead? That’s a much more difficult question to answer. Ultimately, it looks unlikely that Carolina will find a solution before training camp. However, this team loves a surprise, so we’ll see. Perhaps the solution is just to extend the restricted free agent. Or perhaps the Hurricanes front office has another solution in mind.