2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs
Devils Stanley Cup Playoff Series With Hurricanes Just Got Tougher
Alexander Nikishin is a big boost on the Hurricanes’ blueline, making the Devils’ tilt in the first round of the playoffs that much tougher.
The New Jersey Devils’ first-round opponent in the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs is locked in to be the Carolina Hurricanes. On Friday morning, that matchup just became even more difficult as the Canes received a big boost on their back-end.
It wasn’t enough that Carolina is doing just fine without the likes of Mikko Rantanen or Martin Necas. It still wasn’t enough that the Canes will have home-ice advantage in the opening round against the Devils.
The Hurricanes were able to reel in Russian defenseman, Alexander Nikishin, from the KHL, inking the highly-touted prospect to a two-year, entry-level contract.
The Canes drafted Nikishin in the third round, 69th overall, over the 2020 NHL Draft.
He since established himself as a dominant force in the top professional league outside the NHL. The 6-foot-4, 216-lb defenseman collected 157 points (45 g, 112a) across the last three seasons as a blueline for SKA St. Petersburg—where he played alongside Devils prospect, Arseni Gritsyuk—and amassed 192 points (62 goals, 130 assists) in 323 KHL games.
It’s rare for anyone, especially a defenseman, to make their KHL pro debut at the age of 18 years old. Nikishin did exactly that in the 2019-20 season with Spartak Moskva before he was traded to SKA in 2022.
You see, Nikishin is the only defenseman in KHL history to record three consecutive 40+ point seasons (2022–23: 55 points; 2023–24: 56 points; 2024–25: 46).
Surely, when games matter most in the postseason, he folds under the pressure as a ripe 23-year-old, right?
Wrong.
In 26 KHL postseason games, Nikishin tallied 12 points (7 goals, 5 assists). Despite SKA’s first-round exit in 2024-25, he returned from injury to score a goal and add an assist in four playoff games, logging nearly 29 minutes per game in high-pressure situations.
In other words, Nikishin is a machine. Because of his physical and personal maturity, he was named captain of SKA over the last two seasons, despite several veterans being present on the roster.
Nikishin is a rare blend of offensive dynamism and defensive reliability. His 55-plus point seasons in the KHL rival the production of top NHL defensemen, yet he’s equally adept at shutting down opponents. Nikishin’s size and acceleration make him a net-front force, while his skating and puck-moving ability fit the modern NHL’s emphasis on mobile defensemen.
His versatility—excelling at 5-on-5, power play, and penalty kill—make him a potential top-four defenseman who can log heavy minutes. In fact, it wouldn’t come as a surprise to see Nikishin step right into that kind of role as soon as he lands on American soil.
Carolina’s blueline was already quite formidable with the likes of Jaccob Slavin, Brent Burns, and Dmitry Orlov. Adding Nikishin to the mix only strengthens their back-end.
Suffice to say, Jesper Bratt, Luke Hughes, and Co. have their work cut out for them in the first round of the playoffs. The last time the Devils and Hurricanes met in the postseason, Carolina made quick work of New Jersey winning the series in five games. This time, the Devils won’t have Jack Hughes in the fold, either.
Perhaps the Devils could respond by landing their own fish in the KHL pond, and attract Gritsyuk to North American sooner than anticipated.
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