Carolina Hurricanes: What could an Andrei Svechnikov contract look like?

Carolina has had a busy off-season. With 14 new additions signed to NHL deals, you may have noticed that there has not been a lot of re-signings for the Hurricanes. Obviously, the Hurricanes have made moves to replace those they lost, but they can’t replace everyone they lose. One player who would fall into this category is restricted free agent Andrei Svechnikov.

Svechnikov is a an RFA. For those fans newer to the sport, a restricted free agent is someone who can still receive offers from anywhere else, but Carolina will get a 7 day period to match that offer if the player chooses to do so. If they don’t opt to match, Carolina will get draft compensation for their player. This happened somewhat recently with Sebastian Aho and the Montreal Canadiens.

Svechnikov has played in all but 1 regular-season game that he could have with the Hurricanes, only missing last season’s finale in Nashville to give him some much-deserved rest. Over those 205 games for Carolina, Svechnikov has 59 goals and 81 assists for 140 points. Not too bad for a former 2nd overall pick.

Fans have been getting a little paranoid during this summer of change, thinking maybe Svechnikov will not be returning to the Hurricanes organization. This is something that Hurricanes insiders have been quick to disprove. It was like this for the rest of the RFA market after Aho’s offer sheet. Teams are trying to sign players as cheaply as possible, and when the first RFA re-signs, most will start to fall in line.

Svechnikov’s deal isn’t going to be cheap. I think everyone knows that at this point. He’s an incredibly talented winger, and Carolina has both the cap space and the need to bring this player back. What everyone will want to know is at what price and at what term. It’s going to be a lot, but how much are we looking at for this player?

Well, looking at players that are around Svechnikov’s ability would make a lot of sense. Who’s comparable to this player? Well, the one that instantly comes to mind for me is Patrik Laine. Laine is another player who is known for his goalscoring ability, and his numbers with Winnipeg earned him a bridge deal, making 6.75 million dollars over the course of two years.

Something like that is probably what you can expect with Svechnikov if the rumors are true that this player wants to bet on himself to cash in on a bigger payday in a few years. If the Hurricanes and Svechnikov have a desire to go long-term, this comparison doesn’t really work. So who is a good comparable for Svechnikov if he wants an eight-year deal?

That comparable is probably Mikko Rantanen. Rantanen got paid 9.25 million dollars per year over the course of 6 years. If Svechnikov wants an 8-year deal, you probably bring the average annual value down a little and call it a deal worth maybe 8.5 million a year. That’s what you’re looking at in the long term for the cost of Svechnikov.

Going long-term is good for obvious reasons, you have the player signed forever. It’s good to have core pieces locked up for as long as possible, and it means that you don’t approach this sensitive area for a while. It does mean that when the player’s deal does expire, they will be entering unrestricted free agency, which is an entirely different ballpark, but nevertheless, it’s entertaining.

Bridge deals work best when players maybe aren’t sure what their value is. They want to prove that they are worth the payday. It means you have to go through this debacle a few times, but it means that you’re assured to never have a bad contract for too long, and you almost always have control over the player at the end of a bridge deal. Unless the player is 27 or has been in the league for 8 years.

I personally think Svechnikov’s best choice is a bridge deal. It’s best for the organization too. A bridge deal from Carolina would have to be two years so you’re not re-signing him at the same time as the rest of the SAT line. It’s best for Svechnikov because you will earn your big payday then and there. It’s not even like he’d be making pennies on the dollar until then. He will get a lot of money either way.

Question for Cardiac Cane Readers: What deal do you think Svechnikov should sign?