The Carolina Hurricanes made multiple massive moves in the offseason to try and get over the postseason hump. Nikolaj Ehlers is the prized free-agent pickup, as he immediately became their top-line winger. But a trade they made represents the best battle to watch this fall. The training camp battle to watch for the Hurricanes is between K'Andre Miller and Alexander Nikishin for the spot next to Jaccob Slavin.
The Hurricanes have had a tremendous amount of regular-season success under head coach Rod Brind'amour. A big reason why is their team defense, led by Slavin. He became a mainstream star during the 4 Nations Face-Off, with Mike Sullivan singing his praises after many Team USA games. Now, he is getting a new partner on the left side for an important season in 2025-26.
The Hurricanes drafted Nikishin 69th overall in the 2020 NHL Draft, and he made his debut during the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs. He picked up one assist in four games, averaging 15:59 of ice time per game. He will be 24 years old on opening night, making him a player Carolina is banking on for the future.
Miller is an NHL veteran, coming to the Hurricanes after five years with the New York Rangers. But after a disappointing 2024-25 season, New York was ready to move on. There should be concern around Miller after that poor season, but the defensive structure of Carolina is a solid landing spot for him.
Putting a defenseman with Slavin means they will get a lot of playing time, but they won't have to carry much weight in the defensive zone. Slavin may be the best defender in the league, but he doesn't bring the offensive upside. So, which defender should Brind'amour and the Hurricanes slap with their superstar to start the season?
Who should the Hurricanes put with Jaccob Slavin
The argument for putting Nikishin on the top pairing is simple. He is a young defenseman who would be most comfortable with Slavin playing next to him. Instead of playing fewer minutes with Jalen Chatfield, get him up the NHL speed quickly with the best defenseman in the league.
Miller was a disaster defensively last year with the Rangers, making him a candidate to get pulled around by Slavin. Opening up the offensive game would be a great way to pay off the remarkable trade package they gave up for him. The Hurricanes gave up a first-round pick and defensive prospect Scott Morrow to land Miller and paid him $7.5 million per season.
This should be a battle for all of Hurricanes' training camp, with the answer becoming clear on opening night. Brind'amour is more likely to trust the veteran Miller in the early stages of the season, with the ability to change things on the fly. Nikishin could fly up and steal that role, but the reality is that these are the top-three defensemen for a long time.
The Hurricanes won't have a position battle on the forward unit of any note. Their top line should be locked in, with Sebastian Aho playing between Ehlers and Andrei Svechnikov. Unlocking both Aho and Svechnikov is a key to playoff success this year, and there is a chance Ehlers does that. There will be plenty to watch up front in Carolina, but that won't start until the regular season.
In the net, the Hurricanes have both Frederik Andersen and Pyotr Kochetkov under contract. They should be rotating those goalies once again this season. Andersen was hurt for much of 2024-25, limiting his total games played to 22. That means the Miller-Nikishin battle is the most interesting one to watch once the Hurricanes open training camp.
