NY Rangers Got Close To Completing Trade With Hurricanes

The New York Rangers have been active this offseason and have got close to making a trade with the Carolina Hurricanes.

Oct 25, 2025; Dallas, Texas, USA; A view of the logo on the jersey of Carolina Hurricanes goaltender Brandon Bussi (32) during the game between the Stars and the Hurricanes at the American Airlines Center. / IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The New York Rangers have been incredibly active this offseason when it comes to the trade market.

Before going on the clock at No. 5 in the 2026 NHL Draft, they completed a deal with the Vegas Golden Knights to acquire Pavel Dorofeyev. Two more trades were done during the draft, one with the Nashville Predators and the other with the Seattle Kraken.

When free agency began, the Rangers got active again. Vincent Trocheck was traded to the Utah Mammoth with defenseman Chris Durzi, prospect Cole Beaudoin and a third-round pick in the 2027 NHL Draft. The team acquired Marcus Pettersson from the Vancouver Canucks and traded Will Borgen to the Boston Bruins.

The roster has been revamped, but the team also mulled over other moves. One of their targets was defenseman Alexander Nikishin of the Carolina Hurricanes, who was nearly traded to New York.

Rangers got close to acquiring Alexander Nikishin from Hurricanes

Nov 1, 2025; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Carolina Hurricanes defenseman Alexander Nikishin (21) skates with the puck during the second period against the Boston Bruins at TD Garden. / IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

According to Elliotte Friedman on the 32 Thoughts Podcast, the Hurricanes are likely going to trade Nikishin, and a deal with the Rangers got very close. The two sides were so deep into negotiations that New York was having contract talks with the young defenseman.

However, the trade wasn’t completed because the Rangers and Nikishin were unable to come to terms on a deal. It is presumed that he is seeking a ton of money, more than what New York was comfortable offering him long-term.

During his rookie season, Nikishin had 33 points, scoring 11 goals to go along with 22 assists. He had a plus/minus of +18, while averaging 18:11 minutes per game. However, his playing time was cut back drastically in the playoffs, where he averaged only 14:50 per game.

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Adding a player who has proven productive at such a young age and has as much upside as he would have been a huge pickup for New York. Alas, it wasn’t meant to be despite multiple efforts from team president and general manager Chris Drury.

With a first-round pick on the table, it is fair to wonder whether the talks with the Hurricanes over Nikishin deteriorating led the Rangers to pivot to acquiring Pettersson from the Canucks.

The team traded a 2030 first-round pick that is top-10 protected to acquire him and address their need for depth on the blueline behind Adam Fox and Vladislav Gavrikov. He is part of a revamped organizational pipeline that includes Albert Smits, the No. 5 pick in the 2026 NHL Draft, and four more left-handed defenseman selected.