Maple Leafs could land Stanley Cup champion Alexander Nikishin in a trade

It sounds crazy but the Maple Leafs have the chance to add Stanley Cup winner Alexander Nikishin in a deal that moves out money and Morgan Rielly too.

Nikishin's name has been popping up in trade rumours as of late given that the Hurricanes may not be able to afford what he wants, it means that one of the brightest up-and-coming defenders in the league could be available and after being a key part of the Carolina Hurricanes' Cup win this past season - he'll have his suitors.

Nikishin, 24, has only 81 games and one season under his belt, but he made it a good one. He had 33 points (11 goals, 22 assists) while adding a plus-18, 94 blocks and 132 hits. Granted that plus/minus was helped a lot by Jaccob Slavin being his partner, but he's not a bad defender in his own right.

Nikishin would give Toronto the young, physical top-pairing defenceman it has been missing

Reportedly however, he's looking for a big pay day and the Hurricanes may be hesitant to give him so much money after only one season. Sure, he looked good, but is it a guarantee? That's the issue Carolina is facing.

And it seems like they are at least entertaining offers. According to Chris Johnston, he revealed that in addition to Nikishin wanting to add some zeroes to his bank account, the Hurricanes are listening to potential offers on the young defender:

It's a good name to throw out there, he wants a big next contract. I don't know the path, if a trade isn't found, they could play hardball we have to see but certainly the Hurricanes have listened on him and considered opportunities.

And the way they [Hurricanes] do business; wouldn't surprise me at all by the time we come back to the show, that he's dealt away.

If he's available then the Maple Leafs are a team who should certainly take a look at him. He would add a huge body on the ice, while also bringing a much better defensive game than Morgan Rielly on the left side, fits the mobility and youth quota, and has shown some great offensive capabilities in his first year.

He would instantly be slotted into the top-four and would likely slot in next to either Oliver Ekman-Larsson (who moves to the right) or even potentially Darren Raddysh and overload the first pair while Jake McCabe and Chris Tanev take their place as pair two, with Ekman-Larsson and either Emil Andrae or Troy Stecher with him.

Morgan Rielly has to go the other way along with a few other pieces

Plus, he's going to cost about as much as Rielly, but you're adding someone who is eight years younger and still getting his feet wet, and only a few years from hitting his prime.

Speaking of Rielly, he's going to have to be involved in this deal and it could behoove the Hurricanes to replace Nikishin with someone of similar offensive numbers but has the veteran experience both in the regular season and playoffs.

You need his money off the books and he'd have familiarity with head coach Sheldon Keefe, where he had some of his better seasons recently including a 68-point year in 2021-22.

But that's just the start. The Hurricanes are going to also want serious draft capital, so add in Colorado's first-rounder in 2027, and potentially a couple of prospects. William Villeneuve makes sense as he's NHL ready and proven that he can be an offensive weapon and brings the youth and mobility of Nikishin at a tenth of the cost.

You could also add in one of the NCAA signings such as Vinny Borgesi or Hayes Hundley - two young, promising defenders who could grow into potential second-pairing NHL players.

You're certainly paying a premium for the chance to sign Nikishin long-term, and if he's asking for a boatload of money it's going to be hard to stomach giving it to him especially if it turns out failing.

But for the Maple Leafs, they get a chance to add a young, aggressive and winning defenceman and dispose of some heavy commitments albeit some interesting prospects. It's the price you pay for winning and John Chayka's been all about that mindset this summer.

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