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Andrei Svechnikov's contract situation is the last of the Carolina Hurricanes' worries right now, but they'll likely consider it before July 1. Carolina had plenty on their plates at this year's trade deadline with the Mikko Rantanen drama, which makes it easy to forget they are still one of the top contenders for the Stanley Cup. However, if the Hurricanes crash and burn in the playoffs again this year, Svechnikov could face an uncertain future.
Svechnikov signed an eight-year, $62 million extension before the 2021-22 season. The first four years of the deal had no clauses, but a ten-team trade list clause kicks in on July 1. The ten-team trade list is a deal where the Hurricanes can only trade Svechnikov to one of the teams on that list. It isn't as dramatic as the no-movement clause, but it does take away some of the Hurricanes' flexibility.
The analytically-driven Hurricanes franchise will have a million reasons for whether to keep or trade Svechnikov, but we'll break it down to the best of our knowledge.
Andrei Svechnikov's loyalty is rare for Hurricanes
What do Mikko Rantanen and Jake Guentzel have in common? They are both rentals the Hurricanes acquired in the last two trade deadlines that bolted before signing their extensions. Acquiring rentals at the deadline is always a risk, but Carolina's front office had to assume both of those players would stay long-term. Carolina isn't a terrible market to play in, but it's an acquired taste that could take some time to grow on a player. Rantanen and Guentzel didn't have enough time.
Guentzel's situation might have scared the Hurricanes away from keeping Rantanen past the deadline. Carolina acquired Mikko Rantanen from the Colorado Avalanche, and he lasted just 13 games before the Hurricanes traded him to the Dallas Stars. Rantanen never fit in with the group in Raleigh, and Eric Tulsky worried that history was about to repeat itself from the Guentzel saga.
Martin Necas was another player who failed to commit long-term to the Hurricanes. This is part of the reason why Carolina traded him in the package to acquire Rantanen. It's a disturbing trend of top-end players who don't want to call Carolina home, which the Hurricanes don't have to worry about with Svechnikov.
Svechnikov is slightly inconsistent, but the Hurricanes must be happy with the core they have locked into long-term deals. Svechnikov, Sebastian Aho, Seth Jarvis, Jesperi Kotkaniemi, and Jaccob Slavin are all on long-term deals through the 2028-29 seasons. Carolina can rest easy knowing they will be contenders as long as these five players are the team's leaders.
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Carolina hasn't had as much success as they wanted with this core. However, every team goes through growing pains, and the Hurricanes are better off keeping guys who want to be there.
Svechnikov's clause isn't the worst situation
The clause that kicks in on July 1 isn't the worst-case scenario for the Hurricanes. If they do get to a point where they want to move on, finding a team on Svechnikov's ten-team trade list that will take a chance on the Russian forward shouldn't be challenging.
When he is at his best, Svechnikov can be one of the most physically dominant players in the league. He is a six-foot-two, 200-pound monster who can skate like the wind and isn't afraid to run over an opponent if they get in his way. Svechnikov's inconsistencies might eventually wear thin, but that doesn't mean he wouldn't find his form on one of the teams on his list.
The clause would be much more concerning if it had no movement. If Svechnikov is comfortable in Carolina and away from the spotlight, he might not be eager to waive it for just any team. At least the ten-team version gives Carolina a ballpark of teams where he could move and allows them to play those teams off each other to get the best possible deal.
A no-movement clause sometimes puts teams in a predicament where their player will only move to one particular team, which gives them no leverage in trade talks. It'd be unpleasant for Carolina to move Svechnikov for pennies on the dollar just because he would only accept the move to one team.
Svechnikov's deal offers the Hurricanes some flexibility, and it's worth noting that he is still only 24. He might not have reached the ceiling the scouting team expected, but there's plenty of room to grow. Don't sleep on Andrei Svechnikov as a good value deal for the Hurricanes in two to three years when the salary cap is higher than ever.
