“If a team wants Nikishin, it’ll have to take Kotkaniemi, too.”

Michaël Petit
“If a team wants Nikishin, it’ll have to take Kotkaniemi, too.”
Credit: Josh Lavallee/NHLI via Getty Images

In the NHL, several major changes have been made in recent weeks.

In fact, we've seen just how outrageously high recent salaries have been (kudos to Kent Hughes), and the prices paid to acquire players make no sense.

One obvious example is the Bowen Byram trade and his new $12.5 million-per-season contract…

But we've also seen trades like the one involving Mavrik Bourque, pairing a young, sought-after player with a less attractive one (Ilya Lyubushkin)

And according to what David Pagnotta reported on the most recent DFO Rundown, the Hurricanes could take that approach with Alexander Nikishin.

Pagnotta proposes a scenario similar to Dallas's:

“You want Nikishin? Fine, but you have to take Kotkaniemi with him.” – David Pagnotta

What's interesting about this comparison is that both Nikishin and Bourque are restricted free agents.

And that's why Pagnotta suggests a trade involving Nikishin and Jesperi Kotkaniemi to find a taker and make the deal more appealing to the Canes.

Kotkaniemi is under contract for the next four seasons at an annual salary of $4.82 million. For a guy who was benched during the playoffs, that's expensive.

And there's increasing talk of Nikishin as a very attractive young defenseman: he's tall, he's big, he had a great first season in North America, and he still has time to develop (he's 24).

If the Canes can shed Kotkaniemi's contract (a player who is no longer part of the team's plans), while also avoiding having to negotiate a new contract with Nikishin, it's a win-win scenario.

However, by including KK in the trade, the package becomes less appealing to other teams, and the return might be less attractive for Carolina. I'd be surprised if KK has any positive value right now…


In a Nutshell

– Worth a listen.

– To be continued.

– 1.25 times the combined salary of the entire Ducks' defensive corps? That's crazy.

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