If the Kings are to be considered serious contenders in the postseason, the two most obvious pieces they need to add would be a legit second-line center and a puck-moving defenseman on the left side.
Given his pick of the litter, GM Ken Holland would most likely opt for that center to be a right shot too. But, hey, beggars can’t be choosers; so, we digress.
How about some blueline help, though?
Out in Carolina, they appear to have somebody tailor-made when it comes to a player Holland should be looking to add to his roster.
Enter, Alexander Nikishin. He turns 25 years old tomorrow, stands 6-foot-3 and checks in at a sturdy 218 lbs. Last season, his first in North America, he earned a Stanley Cup with the Hurricanes after posting 33 points (11G, 22A) in 81 regular-season games. Although he suited up for 17 postseason contests, he only recorded one assist in that stretch. Curious, yet also somewhat balanced with a reduction in his ice time, moving from 18:11 during the regular season down to 14:50 in the postseason.
Let’s not get too hung up on this point. He’s a highly sought after defenseman right now and would instantly have a positive impact on LA’s lineup.
Now comes the question coach Peter Laviolette is likely asking as well: how can the Kings land Nikishin?
There are two key areas to investigate.
Assets Going to Carolina
Elliotte Friedman has recently reported what Hurricanes GM Eric Tulsky is supposedly looking for in return. “I think that Carolina wants something akin to two first-rounders for Nikishin,” Friedman stated on his 32 Thoughts podcast. “Whether it’s two first-round picks or comparable talent, I think that’s kind of in the area of what they’re looking for.”
This is interesting for a few reasons.
First, when the Kings and ‘Canes spoke about a potential deal for Nikishin around the NHL Draft in June, the apparent ask was a package of three assets: a 2026 first-round pick, a young NHL roster player, and one of LA’s top-10 prospects. We were also led to believe the roster player wouldn’t be Brandt Clarke or Quinton Byfield, so there’s that — which makes sense, because those two, along with Adrian Kempe and Alex Laferriere, are probably the four non-starters to any trade conversation Holland is likely to engage in.
Regardless, they couldn’t come to a deal and the Kings eventually moved on with their summer.
If the current asking price is two first rounders, or the equivalent, that means the Kings would need to offer up their 2027 first rounder and one of Henry Brzustewicz or Elton Hermansson.
Rather than debate that, let’s just assume Holland would agree to something like that. Then what?
Making the Money Work
We’ll open with the headline statement here and then explain. Holland swinging a deal for Nikishin would almost surely need to be a three-team deal to make it work for the Kings.
Here’s why.
The young rearguard is said to be looking for a contract carrying an AAV of around $7-9M.
Elliotte Friedman: I mentioned on Monday’s pod that Alexander Nikishin is believed to be looking for a $9 million AAV over five years. I had a few sources reach out to say they think that could be lower in the right situation – Sportsnet (9/29)
— NHL Rumour Report (@NHLRumourReport) September 30, 2026
For the Kings to get anywhere close to those numbers, they’d have to move out at least two contracts.
Currently, the team only has about $1.8M in available cap space.
So, how would they move out money?
Using data from the image above to come up with a list of candidates is actually the easiest part of this exercise.
Immediately, the following names can be removed from consideration: Panarin, Byfield, Kempe, Zuccarello, Laferriere, Haula, Laughton, and Clarke.
What about Doughty? Scratch him too, as he was just made captain a few weeks ago.
We’ll also remove Turcotte, Helenius, Lee, Perry, and Gustafsson. They all carry AAVs of $1M or less. That’s not going to move the needle. Sure, just about any one of them could be included in a package, they just won’t be the focal point due to the fact they won’t help clear several millions of dollars off the books.
That leaves Moore, Armia, Edmundson, Dumoulin, Anderson, Ceci, and two goaltenders. Assuming Darcy Kuemper would be difficult to trade right now, the highest AAV on that list is Cody Ceci’s $4.5M, followed by Trevor Moore’s $4.2M AAV.
Neither of those contracts on their own would clear enough money for Nikishin.
Meaning, Holland would need to move at least two contracts out.
Now add in the potential that Carolina doesn’t want any of those players in return. Thus, the Kings would need to find at least one other team — perhaps even two — to move a pair of contracts out, just to free up the money for Nikishin’s new contract.
Remember, he’s a restricted free agent at the moment. He doesn’t have a deal in place. Trading for his rights wouldn’t do LA any good. They need to sign him in order to have him play.
Recapping all of this, Holland would need to be willing to part with a first-round pick and one of Brzustewicz or Hermansson. Then, he’d need to find a way to move out two contracts to clear the money needed.
If he could pull that off, moving one of the defensemen would be ideal because LA would be adding Nikishin to their group. The other obvious contract to move is Moore. Not because of the player, but because of the money. That’s all we’re talking about in this exercise.
So, which NHL team can Holland call and entice to take two contracts off his hands? And what sweeteners will he have to include? Will there need to be cap retention? For example, eating half of Ceci’s contract only complicates things even further.
Taking a step back to pause and reassess the whole situation, it seems fairly complex.
Impossible? No.
Realistic? Not likely.
However, if Holland is serious about pursuing Nikishin, he’ll need to get after this quickly because other teams are circling around Carolina too.
One final note, trying to use Kevin Fiala’s potential LTIR money isn’t really an option for reasons explained in the article linked below.
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Ken Holland has been a complete disaster. A complete disaster. If you were to tell me that Ken Holland was an Anaheim plant to destroy the the Kings franchise for the foreseeable future…it wouldn’t look any different than what Holland has done to the Kings NHL roster. Now he’s rumored to want to throw a grenade into the prospect pool. Good Lord.