The Carolina Hurricanes may be getting one of their best players back from injury much sooner than anticipated. Andrei Svechnikov, who tore his ACL in March, is cleared to resume skating activities for the first time since the injury. He expects to be back and healthy for the Hurricanes' first game of the season in October.

Svechnikov has been a tremendous player for the Hurricanes since making his debut in 2018. He's amassed 264 points in 347 games, with his best season coming in 2021-2022 when he scored a career-high 30 goals and added 39 assists. Svechnikov said back in May that his rehab was going well.

“It's been very good,” Svechnikov said. “Every day (doing) rehab, every day working out. It's getting better and better. The leg is getting stronger.”

Svechnikov is entering year three of an eight-year, $62 million contract with the Hurricanes. Without him, Carolina finished the regular season with 113 points and the two-seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs last season. The Hurricanes reached the conference final only to get swept by the Florida Panthers.

Who knows if the Hurricanes would have been able to go all the way had Svechnikov not gotten hurt. Seeing him getting back on the ice so quickly after surgery is sure to rile up any Carolina hockey fans as the offseason is in full bloom. The Hurricanes are one of the favorites to reach the Eastern Conference Final and in fact, win the Stanley Cup.

The return of Andrei Svechnikov will certainly be welcomed by Hurricanes fans next fall, and he'll have a chance to get back to his All-Star-level potential.