RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — The Carolina Hurricanes have signed defenseman Alexander Nikishin to a one-year, $3 million contract to end a contract stalemate with a restricted free agent yet to play this season.

The reigning Stanley Cup champions announced the deal Sunday, coming after Nikishin's name had been mentioned as a potential trade candidate as he sat out to start the year.

“We’re glad that Alexander is returning to our group,” Hurricanes general manager Eric Tulsky said in a statement. “This has been a long process, but we look forward to him re-entering our locker room ready to contribute with the Hurricanes, as he did during a Stanley Cup championship season last year.”

The 25-year-old Nikishin was a third-round pick in the 2020 draft and had been considered a prized prospect. He made his NHL debut when he was pressed into duty due to injuries in the 2025 playoffs, which ended with a loss to the Florida Panthers in the Eastern Conference Final.

Nikishin played 81 regular-season games last year and posted 11 goals, 22 assists and a plus-18 rating. He worked as a third-pairing defenseman while appearing in 17 of 19 postseason games as the Hurricanes won their second Cup, the other coming in 2006.

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