The agreement is designed for three years, according to the press service of the Canadian team.
The 20-year-old Russian was selected by the Flames in the 2019 NHL Entry Draft with the 88th overall pick.
Nikolaev previously played for the Voronezh "Buran" and the youth team of the Yaroslavl "Locomotive".
The Russian striker in the 2021/22 season played 58 games in the US Major Junior Hockey League for the Tri-City club, in which he scored 72 (23 goals + 49 assists) points.
Nikolaev is the silver medalist of the 2019 World Junior Championships.
Earlier it was reported that the Carolinas defeated the Rangers in the second match of the NHL playoff series.