One of the many chaos factors around the Carolina Hurricanes this season has been the return of star right winger Andrei Svechnikov. On March 11 last season, against the eventual Stanley Cup Champion Vegas Golden Knights, Svechnikov caught a rut in the ice and tore his anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) – a ligament in the center of the knee. As a result, he missed the rest of the season and Carolina’s run to the Eastern Conference Finals.
Many were hopeful that Svechnikov could return in the preseason. His participation in training camp, wearing a yellow no-contact jersey didn’t simmer expectations. Unfortunately, the 23-year-old winger wasn’t reactivated until Oct. 27, eight games into the Hurricanes’ season.
“We’re not a top-heavy team where we rely on a couple of guys. That’s just not how we’re built,” said Hurricanes head coach Rod Brind’Amour on Tuesday (Dec. 5) to the assembled media in Edmonton. Carolina doesn’t rely on a few star players for most of their production. I agree with that. However, it’s difficult to say that Svechnikov’s absence from the lineup wasn’t a hindrance in those first eight games.
Andrei Svehnikov’s Return
Despite his return, it is clear that Svechnikov has not yet regained his form. That’s not to say he hasn’t been a valued member of Carolina’s lineup. However, we’ve seen the return of mistakes he commonly made early in his career. Through 16 games, he has been called for ten minor penalties – calls for interference, tripping, boarding, and roughing point to his frustration about falling behind during a play. Most other NHLers geared up for the season with training camp scrimmages, preseason games, and the first few games of the season, which always help get rid of the offseason rust. Svechnikov didn’t get that same advantage.
“He’s a big part of what we’re doing,” Brind’Amour continued on Tuesday. “His numbers aren’t there yet, but he’s a talented player. If we want to have any success, we need him to be what he can be. I don’t think he’s quite there yet.”
As fate would have it, most of the Hurricanes’ lineup has been inconsistent during the first third of the season, shielding Svechnikov from criticism from a fan base that feels they have bigger problems.
Brind’Amour isn’t known for publicly calling out one of his players. Tuesday wasn’t any different. “I think he looks good,” he added. “You know, you talk to [Svechnikov], and he feels good. But, like I said, the numbers aren’t there yet. But he’s played well. There are a lot of guys who have played well. We just haven’t got the results yet.”
Game Time Decision in Calgary
Before the Thursday, Dec. 7 game against the Calgary Flames, Brind’Amour told the assembled media in Calgary, “We have one game-time decision. A couple of nicked-up guys.”
Choosing his words wisely, the head coach didn’t reveal which one of his players could sit out. It wasn’t until Brendan Lemieux, who has been a healthy scratch in most of the Hurricanes’ games took the ice for warm-ups that we knew it was a member of the forward group.
Minutes before puck drop we got the official word that Svechnikov would spend the game as a spectator. This issue appears to be unrelated to his recovery from last season’s surgery. While it’s never a good idea to speculate on a player’s injury, the Hurricanes’ choice to disclose “an upper-body injury” as the cause of last night’s absence sent a clear message. Whatever ailment kept him out of the game is not related to his past injury.
Where Do the Hurricanes Go From Here?
The head coach is right that his team isn’t “top-heavy.” Both times they have made it to the Eastern Conference Finals recently, they’ve done so without the assistance of Svechnikov. In 2019, he was sidelined with a concussion after fighting the Washington Capitals’ Alexander Ovechkin in the first round. Of course, he was absent last season after surgically repairing his ACL. Although, it’s worth pointing out that while the team made deep playoff runs without him, they failed to win a single game in either of those Conference Final series.
Brind’Amour is also right that Svechnikov “looks good” on the ice. However, it’s tough for us to accurately judge his level of play, given the team’s inconsistencies. Players don’t return from injury with a guaranteed road map. Svechnikov could be back at full strength before the start of the holiday break later this month. Then again, he could still be trying to figure things out as the league approaches the trade deadline in March. This is a case of a known unknown. We know that Svechnikov can produce at a higher level, but it’s unknown if or when he’ll be able to do it again.
Svechnikov’s recovery timeline isn’t the most pressing issue for Carolina’s front office at the moment. As reported by Elliotte Friedman on Hockey Night in Canada early last month, the Hurricanes are looking to move a defenseman – a move they haven’t managed to pull off yet. There were also questions about who would stand in the blue paint after Fredrick Andersen was sidelined by blood clots earlier in the season. A delay in Svechnikov’s recovery is just another item on the list. One that could cause the organization to add a bonified goal scorer in anticipation of a run in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
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