Massive trade in the KHL as Canes' prospect fetches nine players in return

It's not often you see a trade like this in any professional league anywhere in the world. SKA St. Petersburg of the KHL has picked up Carolina Hurricanes prospect Alexander Nikishin as the team attempts to build a Gagarin Cup contender. In exchange, SKA has sent nine players back to Spartak.

Spartak has received Fedor Svechkov, a first round pick of the Nashville Predators in the 2021 draft, Nikita Chibrikov, a second-round pick of the Winnipeg Jets, Nikita Sedov, Pavel Kukstel, and Maxim Krovyakov. The exchange also includes the rights to four players either already in North America or planning to play in North America in 2022-23. They are Mikhail Maltsev of the Colorado Avalanche, German Rubtsov of the Florida Panthers, Ivan Morozov of the Vegas Golden Knights, and Kirill Marchenko of the Columbus Blue Jackets. Should any of these four decide to return home, they will play for Spartak.

Nikishin has been playing in the KHL since the 2019-20 season. The defenceman has yet to have what would be considered a breakout season, but most analysts agree it is coming and will likely be in 2022-23. At six-foot-four and 216 pounds, the 20-year-old is already an imposing presence on the blueline and has no issue throwing his weight around. There's no question the KHL sees Nikishin as a future star and will try hard to keep him in Russia for as long as possible.

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