Nikishin offically eligible to play for Hurricanes in Stanley Cup Playoffs
The Carolina Hurricanes have officially registered an NHL contract for the defenceman on Saturday, making him eligible to play in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, per team reporter Walt Ruff.
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Alexander Nikishin’s NHL debut might be on the horizon.
The Carolina Hurricanes have officially registered an NHL contract for the defenceman on Saturday, making him eligible to play in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, per team reporter Walt Ruff.
Carolina is currently up 2-1 over New Jersey in their first-round series — the Devils getting on the board with a 3-2 double overtime win on Friday.
The Hurricanes seemingly had plans for Nikishin to spend time with the Chicago Wolves — Carolina’s AHL affiliate — but with their season over, they felt the timing to register him for an NHL deal was right, according to Ruff.
On Friday, Nikishin’s agent Ryan Barnes told Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman that “we’ve been working with Carolina on Alexander’s status. Our Russian partners are simply excited to see Alexander play for the Hurricanes and so are we.”
Barnes was responding to a story out of Russia with Nikishin’s Russian-based agent saying there were complications with negotiations.
Last week, Ruff said the top defence prospect was granted his petition to travel to the U.S. from Saudi Arabia. However, progress on that plan slowed down in the following days.
The six-foot-four left-shot defenceman put up 17 goals and 29 assists for 46 points in 61 games for SKA St. Petersburg of the KHL.
Nikishin, 23, was selected 69th overall by the Hurricanes in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft. SKA Saint Petersburg announced earlier this month that the defenceman was granted his release to move to the NHL. The Hurricanes then announced that Nikishin had signed an entry-level deal with the club.
And now, with Carolina’s move to officially register Nikishin for an NHL contract, his much-anticipated debut seems that much closer.
The Hurricanes take on the Devils in New Jersey for Game 4 of their first-round series on Sunday. The first puck drops at 3:30 p.m. ET / 12:30 PT on Sportsnet 360 or Sportsnet+.
