Draft Day is upon us once more, but almost no one is concerned about that with the level of noise being made on the trade market right now. It seems like there has been a big trade almost every day this week since the Panthers acquired Brady Tkachuk on Sunday. Many of those moves have involved teams in the Eastern Conference getting better.
By the end of the weekend, over 200 players will have their dreams realized by being selected in the NHL Draft. Before all of that happens, we'll be glued to social media to see what the latest and greatest is for some of the biggest names out there. Here are three stories we're following as the pre-draft madness kicks into high gear.
1. What is going on with Alexander Nikishin?
One of the biggest loose ends for the Carolina Hurricanes heading into the offseason was the pending negotiations with restricted free agent Alexander Nikishin. It's largely because everyone else is already signed to a new contract next season, outside of Mike Reilly, Frederik Andersen, and a few of their AHL players. Otherwise, all focus was expected to be on Nikishin.
On Wednesday, it was reported that Nikishin's name had been floating around in trade talks, and by Thursday, as many as six teams were interested in acquiring him. This by no means indicates that a deal is close or that it was going to happen, but the longer it goes, the more likely it feels that something could happen.
Much of the frustration from Nikishin and his camp boils down to his usage with the team, playing third-pair minutes next to Shayne Gostisbehere this season as a rookie. After all, he did set a few rookie defenseman records for the team, scoring 11 goals and 33 points, and was named to the All-Rookie team. It sounds like he's looking for a sizeable pay increase on his next contract.
I don't see this situation ending with Nikishin being traded for the sake of being traded. He'll be part of a package for a big-time player. If something can be worked out to ensure a greater role moving forward, he'll stay with the Hurricanes. His being a rookie and trying to ease him into the league made a ton of sense, so with a year under his belt, he should be ready for more responsibility.
2. Will Connor Hellebuyck be a Carolina Hurricane?
One of the players that Nikishin could realistically be traded for is Winnipeg goalie Connor Hellebuyck. In fact, it sounds like they've already explored that avenue. On Thursday, according to Frank Seravalli, the Canes made an offer to the Jets, which included Nikishin and the 31st pick. It's unclear what the entire package was, nor whether the Jets turned it down or are still considering it.
This seems to go against the Canes' philosophy of not paying big bucks for goalies, especially when considering they just won the Stanley Cup by paying Andersen, Pyotr Kochetkov, and Brandon Bussi a combined $5.525 million last season. Bussi and Kochetkov are under contract next season, with Kochetkov in the final year of his deal ($2m) and Bussi beginning a three-year deal ($1.9m).
Meanwhile, Hellebuyck makes $8.5 million over the next five years. He's a two-time Vezina and Jennings Trophy winner, the 2025 Hart Trophy winner, and an Olympic gold medalist for the United States. He's coming off the worst regular season of his career, going 23-23-11 with a .895 save percentage and a 2.86 GAA in 57 games.
If there's a deal to be made here, I don't see how the Canes aren't also trading Kochetkov, either in this trade or another further down the line, especially since he seemed to garner some attention at the trade deadline. Regardless, it'll be a story that remains at the forefront of conversation in the hours before the draft.
3. Do the Hurricanes have a role to play in the Jason Robertson saga?
To get out in front of what everyone is already thinking, there is nothing currently linking the Hurricanes to Jason Robertson, though logic and history would dictate that the Hurricanes have probably called at some point. Contract negotiations for the Stars' pending RFA have been front and center over the last 24 hours, and they took an interesting turn on Thursday night.
Apparently, there was a deal in place between the Stars and the Kraken to send Robertson to Seattle, but the forward reportedly turned down their offer of an eight-year, $120 million extension because of the location. The Blues also had discussions with Dallas about Robertson, offering several first-round picks. Once again, Robertson turned it down.
It's unclear where Robertson might want to play, though the Stars seem intent on bringing him back. The real hang-up is how much Robertson wants to make and Dallas's unwillingness to meet that demand. To Robertson's credit, it's not like he's a bad player, scoring 40 goals three times in the last five seasons, including 41 this past year.
To be clear, I don't think Robertson will be a Carolina Hurricane, but I'm very intrigued by the ongoing discourse surrounding him. I wouldn't be the slightest bit surprised if the Canes weasel their way into the conversation somehow, though I don't think there's a trade to be made here. It'll be another chaotic story to follow before we turn our attention to the draft.
Add us as a preferred source on Google