What Andrei Svechnikov said about reports he’s unhappy with Carolina Hurricanes
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Svechnikov denied trade rumors and unhappiness reports, urging focus on hockey.
- Coach Rod Brind’Amour said Svechnikov earned extra ice time and the issue is resolved.
- Svechnikov regained form after a line change, producing 12 points in 14 games.
The Carolina Hurricanes, back in Raleigh after a four-game road trip, took to the ice Tuesday at the Lenovo Center to prepare for the season’s longest homestand.
Canes forward Andrei Svechnikov, moments after leaving the ice, quickly sought to put to rest recent media reports that he was disgruntled early in the season by a lack of playing time and was open to a potential trade.
“I think that’s just a rumor and I really don’t discuss the rumors,” Svechnikov said.
Asked if there was any validity to the reports, Svechnikov said, “No, absolutely not.”
Svechnikov, 25, began his eighth NHL season by going without a point in his first eight games. He was used on the fourth line at times and had a season-low 11:42 in ice time in the Oct. 18 road game against the Los Angeles Kings.
Svechnikov trade request?
Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet recently reported on Hockey Night in Canada that he had been told by sources in the league that Svechnikov was not happy with the lack of ice time and informed the Canes he would agree to a trade.
The media reports quickly surfaced on social media and became widely discussed by Canes fans and others in the league.
Svechnikov shrugged that off Tuesday, saying, “It has been like that for the last few years, and I deleted my own social media a couple of years ago, so I don’t read it. Obviously, some of my family members told me, but I didn’t see it.
“To be honest, you just kind of close your eyes and try to do your job because there’s always going to be talk. Sometimes in your hockey career you’re up and down, and there’s always talk up and down, as well. You just try to close your eyes and play your hockey game and focus on the hockey.”
Canes coach Rod Brind’Amour said Tuesday he did not detect any early season unhappiness from the power forward, a former NHL All-Star who the Hurricanes took with the No. 2 pick in the 2018 draft.
“Again, any time a player doesn’t get to play, whether it’s the agent or … they’re always calling about ‘What’s going on?’” he said. “Well, sometimes you have to play better, and he has and that’s all been put to bed.”
Since being moved to the top line centered by Sebastian Aho and with Seth Jarvis at right wing, Svechnikov has been a steady point producer. He has seven goals and 12 points in his last 14 games for the Canes (14-6-2), who lead the Metropolitan Division despite a slew of injuries and playing 13 of their 22 games on the road.
“We know how much we love ‘Svech’ and we want him to be upset about … not playing that well,” Brind’Amour said. “If you want to play with the top guys, you’ve got to play like it and I think his play has definitely been that way lately.”
Of the turnaround in his season, Svechnikov said he had to “find” his game after the first eight games, saying, “You have to stick with yourself and your game, because I know what kind of player I am and what I can bring. I’ve got to remind myself sometimes and that what I did, I guess.”
Hurricanes injury updates
The Canes continue to have players in and out of the lineup, and that may not change soon.
Defenseman Jaccob Slavin, who has been out since the first two games of the season, did some skating Tuesday before the practice but does not appear ready to rejoin the lineup. Defenseman K’Andre Miller also missed the practice, along with goalie Pyotr Kochetkov and forwards Jordan Staal and Jesperi Kotkaniemi.
Staal sat out the last game of the road trip, a 4-1 loss at Buffalo, with an illness. Brind’Amour is hopeful of having the team captain back soon as the Canes open the homestand Wednesday against the New York Rangers.
Another development that caused a stir among Canes fans on the road trip was rookie defenseman Alexander Nikishin missing the game at Winnipeg. Brind’Amour said Tuesday Nikishin was made a healthy scratch for the game.
“Sometimes, you need to sit back and watch up top,” Brind’Amour said. “It’s just a reminder that it’s not automatically going to be that you play, and that you earn your ice time.
“We want to make sure we do that right with this player. He’s going to be a really good player in this league, but there’s a big learning curve still. We have to make sure we do it right with him.”
