It was a difficult start to the season for Andrei Svechnikov, which sparked serious trade rumors around his future with the Carolina Hurricanes. The lack of production to start the year, which included no points in his first eight games, led head coach Rod Brind'Amour to cut his ice time. It caused a stir in the relationship between Svechnikov and the organization, and a possible trade seemed like the only solution.
Some of those rumors cooled once Svechnikov started producing again, but there have been no reports about the relationship mending. Even though the Russian power forward is back to his old ways, the savvy Eric Tulsky might use that to his advantage and trade Svechnikov at a higher value instead of when he was in the middle of his early-season slump.
Most teams wouldn't trade a six-foot-three power forward who has yet to enter his prime, but the Hurricanes have a history of going against the grain and making decisions that most teams wouldn't make. Look no further than the criticism they faced after their acquisition and subsequent offloading of Mikko Rantanen last season to see some of the unorthodox moves by Tulsky and owner Tom Dundon.
One rumored trade that made a ton of sense when considering the Hurricanes' mindset was acquiring Elias Pettersson from the Vancouver Canucks. Pettersson will upset fans with some of his tendencies and fail to pass the eye-test on some nights, but his underlying numbers are better, which is what Tulsky loves. The opposite is true for Svechnikov, and that's why Tulsky would have no trouble making that deal.
Why Hurricanes must not trade Andrei Svechnikov amid rumors
The Hurricanes have a terrible tendency to have good regular seasons before coming up short in the playoffs. The disappointing playoff results include a 1-12 record in the Eastern Conference Finals since 2019, including an 11-game losing streak before they defeated the Florida Panthers in Game 4 last season.
One bright spot in those playoff appearances has been Svechnikov, who seems to elevate his game in the postseason. It makes sense, as the Hurricanes don't have many playoff-style players, and the power forward is one of a few who can take over a game with physicality.
Svechnikov has a career mark of 0.72 points per game in the postseason, recording 48 points in 66 games. It is just a .03 drop-off from his regular-season numbers, which is quite impressive considering the scoring gets tougher, and points tend to dry up in the playoffs.
Svechnikov had one of his premier playoff performances last season after suffering a tough Game 3 loss to the New Jersey Devils in the first round. He put the team on his back with a hat trick in Game 4 to gain back control of the series and lead the Hurricanes into the next round.
Pettersson had an excellent playoff debut in 2019-20, but his struggles in 2023-24 highlighted the Canucks fall after a solid regular season. The Swedish center scored just one goal in 13 games, totaling six points.
It has been a common complaint among Pettersson's haters in recent years that he has begun to shy away from the moment. He has also never been the most physical player. With a roster that already includes players like Sebastian Aho, Seth Jarvis, and Nikolaj Ehlers, the Hurricanes might want to keep the more aggressive player in Andrei Svechnikov instead of adding another perimeter player like Pettersson.
