5 Teams That Should Watch Andrei Svechnikov Situation Closely

What better way than acquiring a 25-year-old winger with All-Star level potential in Svechnikov? Not to mention, he’s Russian, so having the likes of Kaprizov and others would help ensure it’s a smooth transition.

Matt Boldy is a great second option, but Minnesota needs one more gamebreaker up front behind him, so when this kind of opportunity becomes available, they have to be in the mix.

Toronto Maple Leafs

It hasn’t been pretty thus far in 2025-26 for the Maple Leafs. Mitch Marner‘s departure and the injury bug have resulted in a Toronto team with no identity and not enough talent outside of William Nylander and John Tavares.

Some of Leafs Nation have already given up and want to tank for a top-five draft pick, but when Auston Matthews and Matthew Knies return, it should start to get better.

That being said, even when healthy, this roster needed a jolt of skill and jam, which is the exact combination Svechnikov brings to the table when at the top of his game.

The revolving door of top-six wingers to fill out the first two lines hasn’t worked, so the need for a true high-end forward is glaring, and Brad Treliving has to get creative if he wants to get something done.

Seattle Kraken

After two consecutive seasons near the bottom of the standings, not many knew what to make of the Kraken entering the season. However, under new head coach Lane Lambert, Seattle has gotten back to their stingy ways and looks like a team with playoff potential.

As it has throughout their five years as a franchise, the roster lacks a true superstar or even a star for that matter. Unless you’re Vegas, that’s just how it goes as an expansion team, and to find that type of talent, you either have to bottom out and win the lottery or make a blockbuster move.

Matty Beniers and Shane Wright are promising high draft picks, so now they need to find someone from the outside to add to the mix. They’ve been said to have interest in Jordan Kyrou, so it only makes sense that the Kraken would have just as much interest in Svechnikov.

Depth is not and has never been an issue in Seattle, so if they continue to stockpile more high-end talent, they could go from competitive to more of a legitimate threat in the Pacific Division.

Vancouver Canucks

The uncertain future of Captain Quinn Hughes hangs over the franchise, and if they want any chance of keeping him in Vancouver for the long term, they have to improve the roster around him.

Many believe it’s inevitable that Hughes joins his brothers in New Jersey sooner or later, but this is one of the best players in the world we’re talking about. If you have that, you have to do everything in you’re power to keep him.

Elias Pettersson has looked much better in 2025-26, and there are a lot of other nice pieces up front, but like these other teams mentioned, the Canucks need more high-end talent, and a former second-overall pick (2018) in Svechnikov fits the bill.

It’s a risky play given that Hughes could still wind up leaving no matter what goes on, but even if he does, acquiring a 25-year-old winger can also line up with the timeline of a potential haul of young talent that would come back in a Hughes trade.

Winnipeg Jets

The Hurricanes took Nikolaj Ehlers from them this offseason, so why not return the favor and take Svechnikov from Carolina soon after?

Winnipeg is and has been a true Stanley Cup contender for years now, though they can never find a way to get over the hump come the postseason. Part of that is the playoff struggles of Connor Hellebuyck, but it also has to do with a lack of game-breaking talent beyond the top line of Mark Scheifele, Kyle Connor, and Gabe Vilardi.

Ehlers was that guy, but now he’s gone, so they’re relying on a committee of depth players to get the job done, and while that works in the regular season, we’ve seen it falter at the most important time of the year.

Acquiring a player like Svechnikov not only would make the Jets’ lineup deeper, it would make for an even more potent offense to help keep up with the Central Division juggernauts in Colorado and Dallas.