Carolina Hurricanes: Andrei Svechnikov signs 8-year deal in Raleigh

We can all stop worrying now! Andrei Svechnikov has signed an eight-year deal, worth $62 million. To put that into perspective, that is a $7.75 million cap hit annually. For a player who scores at close to a point per game rate, the value of this deal cannot be overstated.

What makes this deal so great is the term. If this deal was for five years, it walks him to unrestricted free agency, and it’s a whole different story. This deal takes Svechnikov through to the age of 29. This is a very team-friendly deal for the Carolina Hurricanes because it means another piece of their core is locked up long-term.

What is very interesting about this signing is that despite carrying a $7.75 million cap hit, he never makes an amount of money that isn’t exactly that many million in any given year. Svechnikov does get 4,000,037 dollars in signing bonus. Yes, I had to type it out, because of that 37, a tribute to number 37.

This deal also comes with trade protection, although delayed. Players cannot have clauses such as no-trade clauses (NTC) or No Movement Clauses (NMC) effective in their deals until they are into their unrestricted free agency years. Svech’s unrestricted free agent years start in 2025-26, and they are marked by him gaining a 10 team trade clause. He submits a list of 10 teams he can be traded to when asked.

This doesn’t mean that he cannot be traded to a team that isn’t on that list. It just means that Svechnikov would have to approve any trade destination for him in order for him to be moved. Most of the time, players just use these clauses in effect to stay out of Canada, due to higher taxes, and the larger market pressure players get north of the border.

Ideally, none of that will matter because the hope is Andrei Svechnikov will be a Carolina Hurricane for a long long time. More lacrosse goals, more playoff hat tricks, more being yelled at by Jordan Martinook. With the Carolina Hurricanes locking up their star Russian long-term, it opens up a lot more options for the offseason.

As Cardiac Cane has stressed time and time again, there’s a large weakness in the top six in Carolina on the left side. There are also issues on the 3rd line, but those aren’t as drastic. Now that we know Svechnikov is locked up long-term and we know the cap hit, there are a lot more options in acquiring players with multi-year deals, now that we know there’s less of a risk.

This also means Svechnikov is signed until the 2028-29 season, making him the Hurricane with the most term left, and the 2nd highest-paid player on the team. It means that no matter what happens in the next 5 years, Svechnikov will have a LONG time left in Raleigh. That means more of Svechnikov for us to enjoy

Question for Cardiac Cane readers: What is your favorite Andrei Svechnikov moment?