The Carolina Hurricanes are having a good start to their season. The club has played well overall, despite sustaining a few key injuries so far.
In particular, the club’s goaltending has held up all right. The scoring has been there, while the defense has maintained a solid performance thus far.
But there’s one player that could be on the outs this season. That’s Andrei Svechnikov. Svechnikov has had a precipitous drop in his overall output this season. The 25-year-old Russian is in the midst of what could be his worst NHL season. Despite notching seven goals in 22 games, he’s been down on the Hurricanes’ fourth line at times this season.
The lack of consistency and waning ice time has prompted Svechnikov to seek a change of scenery. As Elliotte Friedman reported in last Saturday Headlines, the Hurricanes and Svechnikov could agree on a move.
Friedman stated:
“I understand that the inference was made to the Carolina Hurricanes that if they wanted to trade him, he wouldn’t be upset about it, that he would be open to the idea.”
The comments underscore how Svechnikov would agree to trade despite not requesting one. That’s not a bad position for the Hurricanes should they seek to make a move. Perhaps swapping the former second-overall pick for another player looking for a reset could work.
As Friedman noted:
“Everything has calmed down for now.”
But just because things have “calmed down,” it doesn’t mean the Hurricanes might not have slammed the door shut on a trade.
Hurricanes Reportedly Talking to Multiple Teams about Svechnikov
As one might imagine, the possibility of landing Svechnikov has piqued multiple teams’ interest. Here’s what Friedman had to say about it:
“I heard there were some teams that called the Hurricanes and they were told ‘we still consider this a cornerstone player, and this is not something we want to do, but if you’re going to ask us, you’re going to have to make a monster offer.’ Now things have cooled down, he’s back on the first line.”
While Svechnikov may be back to his usual prominent role with the Hurricanes, there are no guarantees he’ll remain there. If Svechnikov can’t keep up with Sebastian Aho and Seth Jarvis, there could be an inkling to make a significant move. Several teams are looking to shake things. So, there might be a possibility of a major move down the pipeline.
Hockey Trade Could Be Solution for Canes
It’s hard to fathom the Hurricanes shipping Svechnikov out for a package of futures. While draft picks and prospects could be useful trade chips, the fact is that the Canes will want to get back a roster player or players who can support the team this season.
The Hurricanes see themselves as contenders. So, getting useful roster pieces will be crucial. If that’s the assumption, it could be quite challenging for the Canes to find a trade partner with the pieces to make this trade happen.
For better or worse, the Hurricanes and Svechkinov may be stuck together for the remainder of his eight-year deal. The Russian forward still have three more years left on the deal at $7.75 million.
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