The Carolina Hurricanes signed defenseman Alexander Nikishin to a one-year contract Sunday, and Elliotte Friedman pegs it at $3 million.
The team kept the announcement short: “Welcome back, Niki.”
Their graphic had him in a Hurricanes sweater, grinning wide and hoisting the Stanley Cup.
Minutes after Friedman reported movement on a deal, it was done.
This is a good deal for Carolina. One season, no long-term risk, and a defenseman the organization clearly wanted back.
Think of it as a short-term lease. The furniture is in, but nobody's painting the walls yet.
So who comes out of the lineup?
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Alexander Nikishin returns to Hurricanes on one-year, $3M deal, per Friedman
The money slots him right next to Shayne Gostisbehere, who carries a $3,200,000 cap hit.
Gostisbehere leads Carolina defensemen with 9 points, so the bar on that pay grade is already set.
K'Andre Miller sits at $7,500,000 against the cap, and Jaccob Slavin is at $6,396,062.
Juuso Valimaki and Charles-Alexis Legault have combined for 5 games. They're the names that feel the squeeze first.
The Hurricanes are 9-2-2, and their 20 points are the most in the league.
A team allowing only 2.5 goals a game just got deeper on the back end.
They're 7-1-1 on the road, including Saturday's 4-0 win in St. Louis.
Sebastian Aho leads the way up front with 18 points, and Jackson Blake is next with 13.
Pyotr Kochetkov has won all 7 of his appearances, posting a .916 save percentage.
The real holes are at forward. Jordan Staal is out until at least December 3 with a calf injury.
Taylor Hall is sidelined until at least November 7, and Mark Jankowski is day-to-day with a lower-body injury.
Eric Tulsky handled the blue line first. The forward group could be next on his list.
The Bruins visit Tuesday to open Carolina's three-game homestand, sitting just one point back.
Whether Nikishin dresses for that one is Brind'Amour's call. Somebody on that blue line is about to find out how deep this team really is.
Is $3M on a one-year deal a bargain for Alexander Nikishin?
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