In a recent mailbag, Jeremy Rutherford of The Athletic reported that the St. Louis Blues have expressed interest in Carolina Hurricanes defenseman Alexander Nikishin. Nearly a month into free agency, Nikishin remains one of 10 RFAs without a contract heading into the 2026-27 season.
Shortly before the start of the 2026 NHL Draft, it was reported by TSN’s Darren Dreger that the Hurricanes were including Nikishin in trade talks. Essentially, Carolina was weighing what a long-term extension with Nikishin looked like over what they could conceivably get for him if they made him available. Ultimately, the Hurricanes have yet to pick a direction.
Furthermore, since it’s known that the Blues have expressed interest in Nikishin, there’s obviously a disagreement in the price. As the defending Stanley Cup champions, it’s not clear exactly what the Hurricanes would be looking for in a Nikishin trade, but it is believed that they are still looking for an additional top-six forward.
A few months ago, this trade would have been far easier to figure out. Heading into the trade deadline last season, Carolina was one of the teams interested in acquiring Robert Thomas from St. Louis, though the Blues were asking for an astronomical return. Regardless, no trade materialized, and the Blues’ new General Manager, Alexander Steen, is no longer interested in dangling Thomas in trade talks.
Aside from Thomas, it’s unclear who else St. Louis would consider training at this time. Winger Pavel Buchnevich makes some sense, but given that his offensive production has trended downward over the last four years, it’s unlikely that the Hurricanes would be interested in him, and his $8MM salary, unless the Blues were willing to eat a decent chunk of it. Even with Buchnevich on a cheaper deal, it’s likely that Carolina would ask for even more.
Still, it’s unsurprising that the Blues are one of the interested teams in the 24-year-old blueliner. Nikishin is fresh off his rookie season, scoring 11 goals and 33 points in 81 games with a +18 rating, joining New York Islanders’ defenseman Matthew Schaefer on the 2025-26 All-Rookie Team. Additionally, Nikishin finished seventh in Calder Trophy voting.
As a left-handed shot, Nikishin would be a natural complement to St. Louis’ defensive corps behind Philip Broberg. The Blues are hopeful that prospect Theo Lindstein can make an impact on the NHL roster this season, though acquiring an already established defenseman, like Nikishin, would allow the Blues to shelter Lindstein a little more as his game matures.
It’s challenging to imagine how a trade can be completed between the two parties. The tricky part is that it’s largely unknown what direction Steen wants to take the team in the immediate future. He was quick in trading Jordan Kyrou to the Washington Capitals earlier this summer, but also acquired younger forwards like Mason McTavish and Connor McMichael to complement the rest of the roster.
St. Louis might still be interested in trading goaltender Jordan Binnington, or even defenseman Logan Mailloux, if they acquire a more established defenseman like Nikishin. However, if the Blues have any hopes of contending this season, which it appears that they do, that’s a lot of assets to trade off the roster for one player.