@AvsCanesFan I hate to say it, but I’m concerned for the Avs 😭 This doesn’t look like the team I saw last year. I’m hoping for a disaster bros finals, but minne and somehow Nashville looking strong. I hope the boys get healthy and we see a return to form.
@Itz_NKA@Lukeleim@Canes2Arizona Carrier playing first line in CAR. Cowan is realistically a middle six winger who can play up. Nikishin scored 33 points on the third pair with 18min Atoi last year and can play first pairing on Toronto right now.
@Lukeleim@Canes2Arizona Nikishin projects to be a top pairing defenseman and Cowan a middle six winger. Those assets are roughly equivalent. You’re not gonna get Niki for trash. OEL wouldn’t start and Danford projects as a bottom pair. Minimum for Niki is a roster player or 2 firsts.
@JustWanaBS Consider:
Carrier-Aho-Svech
Ehlers-Pettersson-Jarvis
Hall-Stankoven-Blake
Jankowski-Staal-Martinook
All of those lines are insane and it doesn’t matter how they’re numbered. The canes philosophy is to roll the lines anyway
@JustWanaBS Petey is a 1C talent who will make the team better wherever he plays. Canes have lots of cap. Any big signing from here will be above Aho. If not they will never sign big players. The landscape has changed. What actually stops the deal is if KK + Nadeau + 1st isn’t enough.
@ear1426@Canesszn1@TheWarningTake Dunn is also an option. He’s not a right hand shot and doesn’t have the straight line speed like Montour, but he has great edges, is a better powerplay quarterback, and is better at positioning and gap control. He’s also a couple years younger on an expiring contract.
@Conor_J_Power He has to be an early favorite for the Selke this year. If he has a 100 point season I think he wins it and then you cant really make much of an argument he’s not a superstar.
How would #CarolinaCulture feel about a trade with #LeafsForever?
Alexander Nikishin
for
Easton Cowan
Cowan is another lab-made hurricane like Stank and Blake. Valimaki has been great. Niki doesn’t want to sign in CAR. TOR wants to address their defense.
Thoughts?
@Conor_J_Power Seems they’ve been looking for a while to find someone to pair offensively with Slavin. Nikishin was supposed to be that, but they can’t count on that now. I wonder if they take a swing at Vince Dunn, who is on an expiring contract with Seattle.
@comadreja_clt Some regular season action from recent memory that other people probably haven’t listed and add to the lore:
Feb 18 ‘23 Stadium series vs the Caps
Oct 23 ‘25 and Jan 3rd ‘26 vs Avs last season
Nov 6 ‘25 vs Wild
Jan 19 ‘26 vs Sabres
Jan 29 ‘26 vs Mammoth
Apr 7 ‘26 vs Bruins