Flyers' Time Is Now to Strike for Unsigned Hurricanes Defenseman

Among the holes left unaddressed by the Philadelphia Flyers this offseason was defense, where the club added only Simon Benoit at the expense of Emil Andrae. If the Flyers want to take another step in the rebuild, they’ll need to do more than that.

Fortunately, a young, potential future top four defenseman can be had via trade, and they needn’t look very far to find him.

Elsewhere in the Metropolitan Division, the Carolina Hurricanes have yet to agree to a new contract with restricted free agent defenseman Alexander Nikishin who, according to himself, would like north of $8 million a year on his next deal.

“Earlier, when asked about rumors that he wants $8 million per season on his new deal, the defenseman smiled and said: ‘More.'” RG’s Daria Tuboltseva wrote in her exclusive interview with Nikishin.

“My agents handle that. I don’t push the situation much, they take care of everything themselves. If something concrete comes up, they’ll call me. Right now there’s nothing concrete about the contract,” Nikishin said. “The salary cap keeps growing, and defensemen are getting bigger salaries. You can already feel the difference. I think contracts will keep getting bigger and bigger over time.”

By the sounds of it, Nikishin, 24, is backing himself to earn his improved salary and do the Hurricanes, or a team like the Flyers, a favor by taking the money now instead of later.

With the Leo Carlsson offer sheet and trade links to Zach Werenski, it’s been well-established that the Flyers are able and willing to spend big money to improve their roster.

Nikishin, with 11 goals and 33 points in his first NHL season, would provide an upgrade already, even while not yet reaching his full potential.

Flyers Should Lure Alexander Nikishin Away From Hurricanes with Matvei Michkov’s Help

Flyers Should Lure Alexander Nikishin Away From Hurricanes with Matvei Michkov’s HelpDefenseman Alexander Nikishin is the perfect trade target for the Philadelphia Flyers this late into the offseason.

Travis Sanheim and Jamie Drysdale were the only Flyers defensemen to crack 30 points last season, and they were also the only two to have more than five goals (Sanheim had 11).

The young Russian blue liner already has 17 games of Stanley Cup playoff experience, winning it all with the Hurricanes this year while playing in a reduced role, and he’s also a former teammate of Matvei Michkov’s from their SKA St. Petersburg days in the KHL.

With Nikishin in need of a new contract and the Flyers willing to spend, plus the added element of familiarity, the trade fit between the two sides is obvious.

However, at the same time, other teams are pursuing the 6-foot-3 defender, and the Flyers will have to beat them to the punch if they are serious about making another upgrade this summer.

Recently, it was reported that the St. Louis Blues have interest in trading for Nikishin, and other teams will begin to realize soon, too, that the 24-year-old is worth the chase.

The Blues have enjoyed great success going this kind of route before, landing Dylan Holloway and Philip Broberg with offer sheets that pried them out of Edmonton.

If a team like St. Louis is willing to pony up again, even if not necessarily an offer sheet, that might say something about Nikishin.

According to PuckPedia, the Flyers have $14.88 million in cap space remaining and only need to re-sign Nikita Grebenkin, so the decision to trade for and re-sign Nikishin is entirely up to them.

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