The Carolina Hurricanes will be without one of its best players for the foreseeable future, after young star Andrei Svechnikov went down with a right knee injury in Saturday's 4-0 loss to the Vegas Golden Knights.
The Canes will be without the Russian indefinitely, the team announced on Monday, and there is fear that he may have torn his ACL, which would sideline him for the rest of the 2022-23 season and playoffs.
It would be an absolutely brutal blow for the Metropolitan Division leaders if the worst is confirmed, as Svechnikov has 23 goals and 55 points in 64 games this season.
“I hate it for him more than anything because he's worked so hard to get to this point of the year when it's fun,” Hurricanes coach Rod Brind'Amour said on Tuesday.
“He's not going to be able to be part of it going forward. It's tough. Hopefully it's not super, super devastating but I know he's not, you know…this is a long-term injury, so it's not great.”
The former No. 2 overall pick in the 2018 NHL Draft, Svech has compiled 264 points in 347 regular-season games, and 25 points in 40 Stanley Cup playoff contests.
The 43-14-8 Hurricanes are tied with the New Jersey Devils after losing to their rivals 3-0 on Sunday, and have scored just one goal in the past three games.
“Just move on. There's nothing you can do,” Brind'Amour explained when asked about the hole Svechnikov's absence will cause. “It's the unfortunate part of hockey. I hate it for him because I know how much he put into being ready to go every night and being ready to help this group.”
The Andrei Svechnikov-less Hurricanes will host the Winnipeg Jets on Tuesday night as they look to win the Metropolitan Division without one of their best scorers.
“I just feel bad for the kid,” Hurricanes captain Jordan Staal said. “He's been grinding all year for us and getting ready for our big playoff push. To be getting that news, it's unfortunate.”
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