NY Rangers Making Another Push for Emerging Hurricanes Star

The New York Rangers are setting their sights on an emerging Carolina Hurricanes player.

Jun 4, 2026; Raleigh, North Carolina, USA; Carolina Hurricanes defenseman Alexander Nikishin (21) skates against the Vegas Golden Knights during the warmups in game two of the 2026 Stanley Cup Final at Lenovo Center. / IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The New York Rangers were very active ahead of and during the 2026 NHL Draft on the trade market.

They ended up completing three deals, but were mentioned in plenty more rumors on top of them. The biggest trade they pulled off was acquiring Pavel Dorofeyev from the Vegas Golden Knights in exchange for Nos. 26 and 92 in the 2026 NHL Draft and a conditional 2028 first-round pick that is top 10 protected.

That deal accomplished two major goals for the Rangers: add a top-six forward and bring in youth. New York added a player with multiple 35+ goal seasons on his resume who isn’t even in his prime yet.

Looking to add to their young core in this retool, the Rangers have reportedly set their sights on another player: Alexander Nikishin. The Carolina Hurricanes defenseman was excellent in his first NHL season, earning a spot on the All-Rookie Team while being a key cog on their run to the Stanley Cup championship.

Rangers pursuing Alexander Nikishin from Hurricanes

Jun 9, 2026; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Carolina Hurricanes defenseman Alexander Nikishin (21) warms up before game four of the 2026 Stanley Cup Final against the Vegas Golden Knights at T-Mobile Arena. / IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

During an appearance on The FAN Hockey Show, Elliotte Friedman revealed that New York is making a second push to acquire Nikishin from the Hurricanes. He added that the 24-year-old would be happy to land with the Rangers as well.

“I heard the Rangers offered picks including a 1st and Carolina was like, we want a player, I think the Rangers are trying again, we'll see; they really want him; he would be happy going there,” Friedman said during the appearance.

A third-round pick in the 2020 NHL Draft, No. 69 overall, Nikishin would be a massive addition to the blueline group that New York has. He was impactful during his first season with Carolina, recording 33 points as he handed out 22 assists and scored 11 goals with a plus/minus ratio of +18.

In the postseason, he saw his opportunities scaled back. After averaging 18:11 minutes on ice per game in the regular season, he was out there for only 14:50 per game on their run to the title. Nikishin registered only one assist across 17 playoff games as well.

Eric Tulsky addressed the Alexander Nikishin trade rumors and didn't exactly deny them.

"Every player on our team is an option for a trade if there are ways to get better and naturally the one who is not under contract stirs up a bunch of speculation."#Canes #NHL pic.twitter.com/wgMIPOsWxX

— Pat Welter WRAL (@PatrickWelter) June 27, 2026

It will certainly be interesting to see how negotiations unfold between the franchises. They have a history of making deals with each other, with the Hurricanes acquiring K’Andre Miller from the Rangers last offseason.

Based on Friedman’s report, could New York attempt to build a package around veteran center Vincent Trocheck or defenseman Braden Schneider, its two best trade chips? It will be something to keep a close eye on, especially with how things unfolded during the 2026 NHL Draft.

The Rangers ended up selecting five left-handed defenseman, including No. 5 pick Albert Smits, restocking an organizational pipeline that needed blueline help. Nikishin is a left-handed defenseman himself, but has already proven he can succeed at this level and would be a great long-term building block for the franchise.