The Carolina Hurricanes are ripe and ready for another year of serious Stanley Cup contention. Notable offseason acquisitions of Dmitry Orlov and Michael Bunting have added to a largely similar roster that made it to the Eastern Conference Finals last year. And the Hurricanes may not be done adding. However, there is one core player who unfortunately was unable to help the Hurricanes in the playoffs last season. The return of Andrei Svechnikov next season could be the difference in the playoffs.
Andrei Svechnikov is Ready to Return and Excel
Andrei Svechnikov is a major part of Carolina’s offence. This is not much of a secret. The former second-overall draft pick has a unique skill set as a highly effective power forward. In many ways, Svechnikov is arguably the team’s best goal scorer barring another acquisition. He has a strong wrist shot and a fairly quick snapshot. His slapshot can be effective as well. When he sets up on the dot on the power play you can really see his heavy and accurate wrist shot in action.
He is not a consistent 40-goal scorer (yet) but can be counted on for 20 to 30 goals a season. He also helps a lot on the power play. This season he was third on the team in goals with 23 in only 64 games played due to injury. Had it been a full year he likely would have passed 30 goals. However, he is really not a pure sniper or solely a perimeter shooter.
Svechnikov’s Valued Skill Set
The value Svechnikov brings to the Hurricanes is his highly skilled power-forward ability mixed with his heavy shot. He pushes the play offensively with strong and explosive skating and slick hands. Notably, this past season he exploded as a playmaker more than most likely anticipated. He finished the season third in assists (32) and fourth in points (55) on the team in 64 games played. He actually led the team in points per sixty minutes while finishing in the top three in goals and assists per sixty minutes.
Also, this past season his expected goals percentage of 65.2% was second on the team for players playing over 100 minutes. Meanwhile, he is not afraid to engage physically by throwing his weight around. Unlike someone more like Bunting who plays more “on the edge” and engages in after-whistle scrums, Svechnikov’s physicality comes in the form of bigger in-play hits. His 140 hits were second on the Hurricanes last season after Jordan Staal. This was only 15 less in 17 fewer games. Svechnikov is a truly top-level power forward as he was fourth in the league in combined points per game and hits.
He has become more responsible defensively since Carolina drafted him too. He tied for second on the team in on-ice goal differential of 37. Meanwhile, his 42.5 on-ice expected goal differential was third on the team. There is a tendency for him to take untimely penalties, but that too has improved since he entered the league. With Svechnikov’s elite potential, he has progressed every year and there’s no reason to think he can’t again.
A Missing Playoff Link
So as seen above, what Carolina has in Svechnikov is a fairly well-rounded offensive threat. His threat comes in multiple ways making him a more lethal player. He can power his way to the net and throw his weight around in the corner. He can beat players with a mix of speed and slick hands. Or he can set up on the dot or in the high slot and rip heavy shots into the net.
When Carolina got to the playoffs, Svechnikov was thoroughly missed. They ran into a hot goalie and somewhat got pushed around in the Eastern Conference Finals. After the season came to a close, Hurricanes General Manager Don Waddell mentioned them wanting to get bigger. Well, the return of Svechnikov could be an answer to some of the issues the Hurricanes faced against the Florida Panthers.
At 6′ 2″ and 195 lbs., Svechnikov fits the bigger bill. But his power-forward game makes him seem even bigger than he already is. His hits, strength on and off the puck, and ability to drive the net make him a force on the ice. Meanwhile, he provides a goal-scoring and chance-generation punch that the Hurricanes could have used in the Eastern Conference Finals. You can’t assume that the Hurricanes would have made or won the Stanley Cup with Svechnikov, but it’s very possible that he may have been the piece that turned those one-goal losses into one-goal wins.
Even Absent Missed Time, Svechnikov is Ready for the Next Step
This is another big season for both Svechnikov and the Hurricanes. With another year of maturity, even with the missed time to injury, Svechnikov’s upcoming season is one filled with expectations of something bigger. At age 23, the Russian power forward still has not likely reached the height of his potential. The team around him is arguably better while Svechnikov himself will look to build on an upward trajectory of player progression.
It’s no secret the effect he can have on a line and frankly the entire team. His style of play and effectiveness force opposing teams to focus on him defensively. Then, his heavy game fits into Carolina’s hard forecheck by forcing defencemen to make quick decisions, often resulting in turnovers in their own zone. Statistically, the line of Svechnikov, Sebastian Aho and Seth Jarvis led the league in expected goals for per 60 minutes for lines playing at least 100 minutes together. That line was third in the league in expected goals percentage while the second-highest Hurricanes forward line in that category also included Svechnikov.
All this is to say that Svechnikov can majorly impact a line’s effectiveness. And this just assumes he remains on par with last season without progression. To take the next step, the Hurricanes need scoring and physicality in the playoffs. While he is just one man, if healthy, Svechnikov could be almost an “internal acquisition” to address those needs considering his absence from the playoffs last season. The Hurricanes may not be done this offseason, but Svechnikov’s upcoming season has the potential to be huge for himself and the team.
Main Photo Credit: James Guillory-USA TODAY Sports
