After his worst full-season output since his rookie season in 2018-19, there was growing concern about Andrei Svechnikov's future and what his tough season meant. Then, he responded by scoring a team-high eight goals and notched 12 points in the playoffs, leaving everyone to take a step back and breathe a sigh of relief. Six games into the new season, that panic is starting to kick back in.
While Svechnikov scored 20 goals again, his 48 points in 72 games were a far cry from the near point-per-game numbers he'd put up in the season's prior. Now, Svechnikov is yet to record a point this season. He's the only skater to play in all six games and not find the scoresheet, with only Mark Jankowski (2 games), Jaccob Slavin (2; injured), and Charles Alexis Legault (1) having not scored.
At $7.75 million, Svechnikov is the third-highest paid player on the roster, behind Sebastian Aho and Nikolaj Ehlers. Aho trails only Seth Jarvis in points (8), with a team-high six assists. Ehlers has also started slowly, but he found the scoresheet on Monday and has played better than his points indicate. This isn't acceptable for a player of his caliber, and it's not something we're used to seeing.
This slow start is uncharacteristic for Svechnikov
Since entering the league in 2018-19, Svechnikov has never been held scoreless this long into a season. His worst six-game start came two years ago in 2023-24 when he recorded just three assists. However, he was coming off his knee surgery that kept him out to start the season. Otherwise, his worst start was his rookie year, scoring two goals and two assists in 12 games.
Traditionally, Svechnikov has been a quick starter. He was a point-per-game or better through six games for four straight seasons, topping out at ten points (6G, 4A) in 2021-22, when he scored a career-high 30 goals and 69 points. Last season, he had five points through six games, so even when he had a rough season, his start was still decent.
What should the Hurricanes do with Svechnikov?
I'll tell you right off the bat that trading Andrei Svechnikov is not an option that should be on the table right now. Just because he's off to a slow start doesn't mean he should be packing his bags and setting off for a new destination. Svechnikov holds a 10-team trade list in his contract, limiting where the Canes can send him, if the option were on the table, but it shouldn't come to that.
Honestly, I'm not sure what the solution is. Svechnikov began the season playing with Logan Stankoven and Jackson Blake before being pushed to the fourth line after Taylor Hall got off to a hot start. Since then, Svechnikov has remained at the bottom of the lineup with Eric Robinson on his opposite wing and either Mark Jankowski or Jesperi Kotkaniemi in the middle.
This isn't a situation where I feel like he needs to be moved to the top line, especially with how well Aho, Ehlers, and Jarvis are connecting. He has some experience playing with Jordan Staal and Jordan Martinook, but they, along with William Carrier, have been the team's most reliable line all season. It might be one of those situations that has to work itself out.
The "sit and wait" method can only go on so much longer before the fans start to get restless with the lack of results from Andrei Svechnikov. This situation needs to be rectified, one way or another. The only issue is that there isn't a solution that doesn't feel like an overexaggeration or alters the current chemistry with one of the team's better lines. It'll be up to Svechnikov himself to figure this out.