Nick Suzuki, Lane Hutson, Cole Caufield, Oliver Kapanen, and Ivan Demidov. All five of those players are at the forefront of Montreal's roster, and all five are aged 26 or younger.
If the Habs can add Carolina Hurricanes defenseman Alexander Nikishin this offseason, one could make that six.
The case is simple for the Montreal Canadiens to pursue Alexander Nikishin
Only four Hurricanes roster players are set to hit free agency in some form in two weeks. One of them is Nikishin, who will enter restricted free agency.
Considering all of the talent ahead of him, Nikishin had himself a pretty strong rookie campaign. He recorded 33 points (11 goals and 22 assists) while adding a +18 +/- rating, over 18 minutes of ice time per game, and a shooting percentage of almost 10%.
While the Hurricanes will look to lock him up to a new deal and bring themselves one player closer to returning every member of their Cup-winning team (from my research, the Hurricanes could become the first team to do so), the Hurricanes could find themselves in a bit of a pickle.
Nikishin's last contract was valued at just over $900,000 per year, and any extension could see him make well over $2 million at minimum. The Canes do have $12 million in cap space to work with, but they have a question to answer with regard to goaltender Frederik Andersen. In addition, they need to find a way to extend Shayne Gostisbehere and Jalen Chatfield, as both defensemen are eligible for extensions this summer.
If the Canes decide to play the short-term game and throw all their cards onto maximising the success they have with their veterans, then matching any offer sheet thrown Nikishin's way might not be the play. There will be veteran defensemen that the Canes can invest in, potentially at a similar or lower cost.
But if the question is whether the Canes should balance short-term success with the sustainability of their status as Cup contenders for the long-term, then giving Nikishin a hefty payday is the necessary sacrifice.
Nikishin would not only bring some much-needed scoring depth for the Habs' defense, but he would also bring some additional size to help match up with grittier teams.
In terms of the first point, the Habs had three defensemen who recorded at least 30 points during the 2025-26 regular season: Hutson, Noah Dobson, and Mike Matheson. From Matheson, there was a 15-point gap to the next-highest scoring defenseman, Alexandre Carrier. Adding Nikishin would help the Habs fill any potential gaps in blue-line scoring; this could be achieved with a Nikishin-Dobson or Nikishin-Hutson top-four pairing, with Nikishin being paired up with a right-shot defenseman in both scenarios.
Alongside his ability to shoot the puck effectively, Nikishin would also give the Habs the grit and size required to win playoff games against more physical opponents. While the Habs were able to get to the Conference Finals on the heels of strong goaltending and a handful of offensive outbursts, they will need more physicality if they are to match up with a team like the Hurricanes or the Vegas Golden Knights, both of whom contested the latest edition of the Stanley Cup Final. Both teams are loaded with physicality and playoff experience, but that gap could be closed with the addition of Nikishin.
A wild card line? Pairing Nikishin with Arber Xhekaj; such a line would easily be one of the more imposing in the league and would allow for Martin St. Louis to try and build a physical forward line to complement the pairing.
What would it take?
Montreal's cap situation is slightly less favorable than that of Carolina, with the Habs holding $1 million less in cap space than the Canes. The Habs will also have to find a way to bring back at least one of, if not all of, Xhekaj, Zack Bolduc, and Kirby Dach.
But with a Brendan Gallagher trade still a very real possibility, the Habs could easily find the $2 million per year minimum to try and bring Nikishin into the fold. If needed, the Habs could push that to $2.5 or even $3 million.
That might be expensive for a young defenseman. But considering that the Habs already have four defensemen worth more than $5 million annually, what's one more expensive defenseman to add to the collection?
This one could very well put the Habs over the top in that department.
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