The NHL’s reigning champion Carolina Hurricanes still have plenty of work to do before the season starts in the fall. The team’s defenseman, restricted free agent Aleksandr Nikishin, 24, is still without a contract.

According to NHL reporter Elliotte Friedman, it is possible that a contract may not even be made, and Carolina might trade the Russian defenseman.

– Trade negotiations have been kind of ongoing, paused, ongoing, paused, but when I asked about it, several people told me that the situation is worth keeping an eye on from today until the start of training camp, Friedman said on NHL Tonight.

Last season was Nikishin’s first in the NHL, and he managed to make an immediate breakthrough into the Hurricanes’ active defensive lineup. In the regular season, the defenseman recorded impressive stats of 11+22=33 in 81 games.

In the playoffs, Nikishin’s performance was more subdued in terms of points. In 17 games, he only managed one assist.

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