The Carolina Hurricanes bowed out of the Stanley Cup Playoffs on Wednesday, losing to the Florida Panthers in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Finals. And if there's one player who is the most frustrated with it all, it's Andrei Svechnikov.
Svechnikov did not play at all during the Stanley Cup Playoffs. He suffered a torn ACL back in March that required season-ending surgery. The 23-year-old scored 23 goals and 55 points prior to the injury.
The Hurricanes conducted their exit interviews on Friday, where Svechnikov had the chance to speak. He mentioned that his knee felt good. However, watching the playoffs wasn't his thing. “Hated it. There's nothing else to say. I hated it,” Svechnikov said, via Hurricanes reporter Walt Ruff.
“It was fun to watch when we were winning, but when we were losing it was tough because you want to get out there and help the boys,” the Hurricanes star continued in his exit interview.
Svechnikov mentioned that he is close to returning to the ice for the first time since his knee injury. In fact, he believes he can make that return sometime within the next month.
The Hurricanes star is in for the long haul with Carolina. He signed an eight-year extension worth $7.75 million in average annual value back in 2021. And he will be a major part of the Hurricanes moving forward.
Carolina dearly missed his playmaking and goal-scoring ability in the Eastern Conference Finals against the Florida Panthers. Whether the series would have gone the other way had he been on the ice is up for debate. What is certain, however, is that Svechnikov will be a welcomed addition once he does return to the team.
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