Elliotte Friedman said on Monday and again on Tuesday that the Rangers have been trying to acquire Carolina defenseman Alexander Nikishin.
Friedman said on Monday that Carolina wants a player in return and that he heard “the Rangers offered them a few picks, including a first, and I just don’t think they are interested in that.”
On Tuesday, Friedman said “I think it’s heating up around Nikishin” and that the Rangers are “trying again and they really want him and I think he would be happy going there.”
Friedman added that he thinks Nikishin turned down a long-term deal from Carolina.
Nikishin, 24, is a pending RFA but he doesn’t have arbitration rights and isn’t eligible to sign an offer sheet.
He had 11 goals and 22 assists as a rookie this past season, finished seventh in the Calder voting and was named to the All-Rookie team.
He is a left-shot defenseman.
Adam Rotter: I think Nikishin is who the Rangers wanted last summer for K’Andre Miller but Carolina was threatening an offer sheet for Miller that would have gotten the Rangers Carolina’s first, rather than Dallas’, second and third and instead the Rangers got the Dallas first which was 26 instead of 31, and Scott Morrow over a third round pick. But Nikishin has been highly touted through his time in Russia and Carolina likely doesn’t want to move him now but if he isn’t looking to stay long-term then this is when they can get the most value for him.
What first round pick the Rangers offered is interesting unless they were having these talks before the Rangers sent 26 and a top-10 protected first in 2028 for Pavel Dorofeyev. I doubt the Rangers would trade anything other than a heavily protected first round pick next year, among other picks, and it’s not a surprise that Carolina wasn’t interested in that. I don’t know what player the Rangers have that Carolina would want. Carolina won the cup with Nikishin and likely want some level of a replacement for him on defense and the Rangers don’t have that. Could they figure out Nikishin for Vincent Trocheck? The Rangers probably want to deal Trocheck separately but if that gets it done it would add a young defenseman who could step right in to the second pair behind Vlad Gavrikov on the second pair.