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Latest On Andrei Svechnikov

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On last night’s Saturday Headlines segment of Sportsnet’s NHL broadcast, Elliotte Friedman reported an interesting development coming out of Carolina. He noted that “earlier on in the season,” Carolina Hurricanes forward Andrei Svechnikov “was unhappy” with his usage at the time under head coach Rod Brind’Amour. As a result, per Friedman, “the inference was made” to the Hurricanes that “if they wanted to trade” Svechnikov, “he wouldn’t be upset about it,” he “would be open to the idea” of a trade from the Hurricanes.

Friedman then added that “there were some teams that called the Hurricanes” to inquire about trading for Svechnikov, but were told that the club still views the player as a cornerstone one, and that any hypothetical trade for Svechnikov would need to begin with “a monster offer.”  Friedman also noted that since that point earlier in the season, “things have cooled off” as Svechnikov’s usage has increased and he’s been placed on the team’s first line alongside Seth Jarvis and Sebastian Aho.

But if Svechnikov’s usage slips back to where it was earlier in the year, Friedman’s reporting suggests his name could re-enter trade conversations. While it’s reasonable for Carolina to value Svechnikov highly, other teams could fairly point out that his recent production hasn’t matched that valuation.

The 25-year-old has 12 points in 21 games this season, good for a 47-point 82-game pace. That’s somewhat misleading, though, because Svechnikov has those 12 points in his last 13 games since being moved into the top-six, and began the season scoreless through eight games. So it does appear, at least as far as this season is concerned, that Svechnikov’s production is highly dependent on how he’s utilized in the lineup.

Dating back to last season, Svechnikov’s offensive impact has been more modest than expected for a player of his pedigree. He scored 48 points in 72 games last season, though he did add eight goals and 12 points in 15 postseason contests. Svechnikov has shown flashes of becoming the kind of superstar winger he was projected to become when he was drafted, but those flashes haven’t been consistent enough for the player to truly ascend to the point where he’s considered a league-wide star.

On a team that has long chased a true superstar winger, including last year’s short-lived swing for Mikko Rantanen, Svechnikov being on pace for a second straight sub-50-point season stands out.

But the good thing about Svechnikov, from the Hurricanes’ perspective, is that regardless of his numbers at any given time, anyone who watches him can see he’s far more talented than the average player who produces at a similar rate. He’s shown the ability to score at near point-per-game rates, as he had 52 points in 59 games in 2023-24 and 55 points in 64 games in 2022-23.

But if his usage frustrates him again and his scoring continues to lag behind his 2022–24 levels, it’s natural that trade chatter would pick up. It’d certainly be a difficult deal to pull off given Svechnikov’s value to the Hurricanes, as well as his $7.75MM cap hit, but it’d also be a deal a massive portion of the NHL’s teams would likely have at least some level of interest in being involved in.

While it doesn’t appear that a trade is in any way likely at this point in time, Friedman’s reporting indicates that his status and usage in Carolina will at least be a storyline to watch moving forward.

Photos courtesy of Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

Morning Notes: Texier, Misa, Skinner, McCabe

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While St. Louis Blues forward Alexandre Texier is not yet a free agent as he awaits word on whether he’s cleared unconditional waivers for the purposes of contract termination, that hasn’t stopped reporters from getting info on which teams are most likely to land the 26-year-old’s services once he becomes a free agent as is expected. On yesterday’s Saturday Headlines segment on Sportsnet, Elliotte Friedman reported that “the favorite” to land Texier at this point is the Montreal Canadiens.

The Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun did report yesterday that Texier’s representatives are deciding between two Eastern Conference teams, and with Friedman naming the Canadiens as a favorite, it appears one of those two teams has been revealed. The Ottawa Citizen’s Bruce Garrioch reported yesterday that the Ottawa Senators expressed interest in acquiring Texier, but it’s unclear at this time whether they’re one of the two finalists. Texier’s tenure as a St. Louis Blue was unequivocally a disappointment, as he played just 39 games across two seasons and scored just 12 points. While he might not seem like the kind of player who would merit this kind of league wide attention as a free agent, it’s worth noting that Texier did score 30 points in 78 games in 2023-24. But perhaps more importantly, it’s very difficult at this early stage of the season for teams to add external talent that is NHL-caliber. The fact that Texier is available for just a small cap hit investment (and doesn’t carry the additional asset cost associated with a trade) is likely contributing to the high level of interest in his services. As NHL teams grapple with injuries testing their depth, the chance to add an NHL-ready bottom-six forward for a small amount of cap space is an opportunity most teams likely want to take advantage of.

Other notes from across the NHL:

  • San Jose Sharks forwards Michael Misa and Jeff Skinner are inching closer to a return to the ice, Curtis Pashelka of Bay Area News Group reported yesterday. Head coach Ryan Warsofsky told the media yesterday that both Misa and Skinner have resumed skating, and while Skinner is currently ahead of Misa in his recovery, Warsofsky is hopeful both will be back participating in practice by the end of next week. Misa, 18, was the No. 2 overall pick at this most recent NHL Entry Draft, and has three points through seven games this season. Getting healthy and back on the ice is arguably more important for Skinner, who is a pending UFA playing out a one-year, $3MM deal. Skinner, who scored 29 points in 72 games in 2024-25, has seven points in 17 games so far this year.
  • It was a difficult night for the Toronto Maple Leafs yesterday as they lost 5-2 to their arch rivals, the Montreal Canadiens, and now sit second-to-last in the Eastern Conference, one point above the Buffalo Sabres, who have a game in hand. Making last night’s game worse was the fact that veteran defenseman Jake McCabe left the game due to an upper-body injury, according to a team announcement. While we await an update revealing the extent of McCabe’s injury, it’s clear any extended absence for McCabe would be a major loss for Toronto. The team is already dealing with an injury to veteran Chris Tanev, and losing McCabe for any duration of time would mean the Maple Leafs would lose one of their most relied-upon defensemen. McCabe ranks second on the team among defensemen in time-on-ice per game, and leads Toronto defensemen in shorthanded time-on-ice per game.

Lightning’s Nikita Kucherov, Brayden Point Leave With Injury

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The Tampa Bay Lightning’s injury woes could be getting worse. Star forwards Nikita Kucherov and Brayden Point left Saturday night’s game against the Washington Capitals with injuries. Kucherov was hurt in the second period after getting knocked around in a scrum. Point also left in the second period with an undisclosed injury, though he made a brief return before leaving again in the third. Head coach Jon Cooper said that it was too soon to make a statement on either injury, per team reporter Gabby Shirley.

Rookie Dominic James also left the game in the second period with an apparent injury, but managed to return for the third.

Kucherov scored one goal and three points in the first period, helping set Tampa up for an eventual 5-3 win. It was the 44th time he has scored multiple points in the first period, a new Lightning record above Steven Stamkos’ 43 per the NHL Public Records. He ranks second on the Lightning in scoring on the year, with 19 points in 18 games. The superstar Russian has lost no momentum in his 12th NHL season, and would leave a major hole in the lineup and on the scoresheet should he need to miss time.

Point also remains a core piece of the Lightning’s offense. He has had a down year by his standards, with 11 points and a minus-10 in 20 games, though that mark still ranks fifth on the team in scoring. The Lightning lean on Point’s ability to play both between, and off of, star scorers Kucherov and Jake Guentzel. His absence would force the team to find another adaptable second-line center. It would also bump rookie Jack Finley back into the lineup. Finley has two points and a plus-one in eight games this season. He made his NHL debut last season, after scoring 28 points in 40 AHL games.

Tampa Bay is already facing injuries to top defenders Victor Hedman and Ryan McDonagh. Despite that, Saturday night’s win earned the Bolts a three-game win streak, and a 11-3-0 record over their last 14 games.

Flames Focused On Balancing Short-And-Long-Term In Trade Market

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The Calgary Flames have reached an impasse, stuck between whether to push for contention or rebuilding after a few up-and-down seasons. That gap widened on Friday, when team president Don Maloney said that the team shouldn’t blow up to try and build up the future in an interview with Sportsnet’s Eric Francis. Maloney added that general manager Craig Conroy has no restrictions on deals he thinks can impact the long-term, but reminded fans that Calgary must push through the short-term as well, pushing a need to stay competitive.

Calgary is shopping high-value veterans like Nazem Kadri and Rasmus Andersson just a few years after trading away a heap, including Noah Hanifin and Jacob Markstrom. They are plowing towards a new era, on the back of multiple young pros, but the kids haven’t quite proven themselves yet. Kadri and Andersson have helped supplement Calgary’s rookies while they find their spots in the lineup.

At the same time, the pair of vets could fetch serious returns in a buyer’s market. Kadri has 14 points in 22 games this season, and scored 35 goals and 67 points in 82 games last year. He remains a clear top-line scorer, who could boom on a stronger offense. The same can be said for scoring-defender Andersson, who has 12 points in 22 games this year and scored 11 goals and 31 points last year.

Landing more young firepower – like Winnipeg’s Brad Lambert or Anaheim’s Pavel Mintyukov – could be the piece that ramps up Calgary’s rebuild. But they’ll have to make sure they’re not jeporadizing their next few seasons to do it. It will be a balancing act for novice GM Conroy, and one that should underscore the future of Flames hockey.

Kraken Looking To Add Impact Winger, Re-Sign Jaden Schwartz

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The Seattle Kraken are searching for a balance between bolstering the lineup and not breaking the budget as the season goes on. Adding a top-six winger will be a top priority, but Seattle is taking a cautious approach with seven players headed for free agency, per David Pangotta of The Fourth Period on the latest episode of DFO Rundown. Of their free agents, re-signing winger Jaden Schwartz could be the fisrt to get something done, with Pagnotta adding that the two sides have already begun discussions that could ramp up in the Spring.

It is no surprise that re-signing Schwartz sits high on Seattle’s to-do list. The 33-year-old is a core piece of a young Seattle lineup. He has averaged over 17 minutes of ice time through 20 games this season and filled roles on both the power-play and penalty-kill. He’s recorded 15 points, 23 hits, and 40 shots on goal in the key role.

Schwartz’s performance is well in-line with what he’s offered Seattle through the last four seasons. He has challenged 40-point scoring pace in every year, and peaked with 26 goals and 49 points last season, his highest-scoring year since the 2019-20 season. He has held his role in Seattle’s lineup since he was selected by the club in the 2021 NHL Expansion Draft. Before then, Schwartz filled a similar locked-in role through 10 seasons with the St. Louis Blues. His career-year came in 2014-15, when he scored 28 goals and 63 points in 75 games, though Schwartz scored more than 50 points in half of his years with the Blues. He was also a key part of the 2019 Stanley Cup winning Blues, scoring 20 points in 26 playoff games that year.

His veteran presence offers major support to the Kraken’s young forwards, especially with ramped-up scoring this year. But while his next contract could carry him through the 169 games he has left to reach 1,000, it will also likely be Schwartz’s last.

That will ramp up Seattle’s need for another heavy imapct in the top-six. The team has plenty of value in their prospect pool to afford some major additions on the trade market. They promoted Tyson Jugnauth, Carson Rehkopf, Kaden Hammell, Caden Price, and Lukas Dragicevic to the AHL this season – while 21-year-old Jagger Firkus ranks third in the AHL with 18 points in 15 games. Many of those players are destined to support Seattle’s next era, but they could clear the overstock in a buyer’s market next year.

The trade market features strong veterans like Nazem Kadri and Boone Jenner, or youngsters like Brad Lambert and Nicholas Robertson. With the model set by vets like Schwartz and Jordan Eberle, a 10-5-5 record this season, and plenty of buying power – the Kraken could be a perfect candidate to make one of the year’s biggest deals.

Then again, they could opt to wait until free agency when they have roughly $35MM in cap space to make a big purchase, per Pagnotta. The 2026 free agency market has dried up with a wave of key extensions but high-impact forwards Alex Tuch, Nick Schmaltz, and Evgeni Malkin still remain on the market. The trio will each challenge a salary north of $9MM should they make a team-change, but an exodus of unrestricted free agents will give Seattle enough turnover to build a new star into the lineup.

The Kraken seem set on taking their time with a big move, but a big move seems a matter of when and not if. Seattle has allowed the fourth-fewest goals in the NHL this season, but ranks third-to-last in goals scored. They’re in desperate need of another spark, even amid a 4-1 record over their last five games. That will set them up to be major buyers as the Trade Deadline and free agency roll around.

Photo courtesy of Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports.

Canucks Still Searching For Impactful Second-Line Center

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The addition of David Kampf hasn’t pulled the Vancouver Canucks off of the center market just yet. The club could be continuing their search for a stout, second-line center with Filip Chytil out and Lukas Reichel failing to live up to expectations, per Patrick Johnston of The Province.

Vancouver is certainly in a tricky spot with a quarter of the season gone by. Chytil appeared to be exactly what the team needed to start the year. He scored three goals in the first six games of the year, while adding 15 shots on goal and a 47.4 faceoff percentage. But he is now out for at least a bit longer with another upper-body injury – something the 26-year-old center has struggled with for the last three seasons. Reichel wasn’t able to pick up the slack after joining Vancouver via trade. He has posted one assist and a minus-six in 13 games with the club.

Those woes have pulled Vancouver back into a position of need. They are currently leaning on Kampf and Aatu Raty to operate behind top-center Elias Pettersson. Bringing in a trade option like Nazem Kadri, Pavel Zacha, or Alexander Wennberg would go far in giving Vancouver a bit more command over their top-six. The center position has proven to be highly sought after through the early year, which could drive up the price of any potential trades – but finding a better way to boost high-performing wingers like Brock Boeser, Conor Garland, and Evander Kane could make the price worthwhile.

Johnston mentioned that Garland could be a candidate to be moved to a club looking for a veteran presence. Vancouver could also begin to tap into their prospect pool to swing a deal, potentially dangling high-upside prospects like Kirill Kudryavtsev, Danila Klimovich, or Anthony Romani. Any of the three, packaged alongside draft capital, should be enough to land Vancouver an impactful veteran who can step right into the top-six.

The Canucks don’t need it all from any new additions. Boeser is more than capable of handling the goal-scoring on the second-line, while Kiefer Sherwood or Linus Karlsson could bring a hard-nosed punch even if the team parts with Garland. They only need a semblance of consistency to help pull together the top of their lineup. Rebuilders like the San Jose Sharks could be a perfect trade partner to find that sort of impact before Vancouver slips further down the Western Conference standings. But with a 3-6-1 record in their last 10 games, and no support in sight as things stand, Vancouver may need to step up as an aggressive buyer to make sure they can keep their year afloat.

Avalanche’s Gavin Brindley Out Week-To-Week

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The Colorado Avalanche will be without one of their most recent signings for at least a few weeks. Rookie Gavin Brindley sustained a lower-body injury and has been designated as out week-to-week, per Corey Masisak of The Denver Post. Brindley didn’t travel with the club on a two-game road-trip that begins against the Nashville Predators on Saturday night.

This is a tough blow for Colorado’s most promising rookie in a few years. Brindley seemed to be finally finding his step at the NHL level, after a quiet start and a day-to-day injury earlier in the year. He scored six points, split evenly, in his last seven games before sustaining an injury two minutes into Thursday night’s game against the New York Rangers. That scoring brought Brindley up to seven points in 18 games this season – a mark that would have put him on pace for 32 points across the full season.

That’s an admirable scoring pace for the 5-foot-8 rookie. Even more, the comfort he showed throughout November was going far in solidifying his role as a reliable addition to a Colorado bottom-six that carries a high standard. He emphasized that impact with 19 hits and 22 shots on goal this season. But a hot streak will come to a close with this news, and put Brindley into the tough position of trying to rediscover his stride when the holiday season rolls around.

Brindley has averaged fewer than 10 minutes a night this season, making his lineup vacancy fairly easy to fill. The Avalanche recalled Jason Polin and could promote Tristen Nielsen into the lineup to address the hole in the short-term. Nielsen didn’t manage any scoring in the first two NHL games of his career earlier this season, though he does have 14 points in 16 AHL games. Polin hasn’t appeared in the NHL this season, but scored one goal in nine games with the Avalanche over the last two seasons combined. The duo will fight for a spot on Colorado’s fourth-line wing. If they can’t last, the Avalanche could recall Taylor Makar or Daniil Gushchin to fill a more routine role than they’ve received so far.

Pacific Notes: Oilers, Walman, Poehling, Parekh

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It has been a consistently inconsistent season for the Oilers who have shown flashes of dominance at times and have struggled mightily at others.  The end result has been a middling 9-9-5 record to start the campaign.  Despite that, Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic suggests (Twitter link) that management isn’t quite ready to start making moves yet and would like to get closer to the 30-game mark which would allow them to ideally have a healthier roster to help them better assess what they need to do.  More specifically, the better assessment might be what they can afford to do as they’ve been operating in LTIR all season and will have very limited cap space when the team is fully healthy, putting them in a money-in, money-out situation when it comes to the trade market.

More from the Pacific:

  • Still with the Oilers, defenseman Jake Walman is listed as day-to-day with an undisclosed injury, notes team reporter Tony Brar (Twitter link). Head coach Kris Knoblauch suggested that the blueliner should be back within a week, meaning an IR placement is unlikely.  Walman is in his first full season with Edmonton after being acquired near the trade deadline last season and has been impactful, collecting 10 points in 17 games while logging a little more than 20 minutes per night of ice time.
  • Ducks center Ryan Poehling took to the ice today for the first time since suffering an upper-body injury a week and a half ago. However, it will still be a little while before he’s cleared to return as head coach Joel Quenneville told reporters, including Derek Lee of The Hockey News, that the earliest that Poehling could return is next weekend.  The 26-year-old is in his first season with Anaheim and had a goal and five assists in 16 games prior to the injury.
  • Flames defenseman Zayne Parekh has resumed skating as he works his way back from an upper-body injury, relays Flames Nation’s Ryan Pike (Twitter link). He has missed the last couple of weeks due to the injury and even if he’s cleared to return sooner than later, he won’t be with the team for long as he has already been confirmed to be going to the World Juniors if healthy by then.  Parekh is in his first full professional season after recently surpassing the nine-game threshold and has an assist in 11 outings so far while averaging a little less than 15 minutes per night of playing time.

Devils And Flyers Seeking Depth Centers

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Considering that we’re basically just at the one-quarter mark of the season, the trade market hasn’t really materialized aside from a handful of smaller moves.  But that doesn’t stop teams from setting their respective wish lists and determining what areas they’d like to add to their rosters.

As is often the case, help down the middle is an area that a lot of teams will be targeting.  Among them are a pair of Metropolitan Division teams.  Anthony Di Marco of Daily Faceoff reports that while acquiring a top replacement for Jack Hughes is unlikely, they’d like to add a depth center to the mix.  Meanwhile, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported on the latest 32 Thoughts podcast (audio link) that the Flyers are also looking for an extra depth middleman.

New Jersey had been looking to add a center last season.  However, when Hughes suffered a season-ending shoulder injury, they pivoted from looking to make a big addition to more of a depth one in Cody Glass.  Speculatively, that’s the type of depth addition they’d likely want to make, one that would add to the roster without costing too much to acquire.

The other element in play is the player’s actual cost.  The Devils are deep into LTIR with Johnathan Kovacevic and Brett Pesce currently on there while Hughes is eligible given that he’s out for the better part of two months.  But eventually, when they’re all healthy, New Jersey is going to be right against the Upper Limit of the salary cap so if they go add someone to help at center, it ideally would be a lower-cost addition that’s easier to fit on their books.

As for the Flyers, they haven’t really replaced Jett Luchanko after he was assigned back to junior last month.  Rodrigo Abols has been filling a role as a fourth-line center but the 29-year-old only has 36 career NHL games under his belt.  In a perfect world, a more proven and impactful option would be a good way for them to go.

On the other hand, Philadelphia enters play today seventh in the Metropolitan Division and the expectation heading into the season was that they’d be a non-playoff team and a likely seller.  Not enough has happened yet to change those expectations so taking a big swing on the trade front might not the prudent move.  Instead, a smaller addition now that doesn’t cost a lot but could still help would make sense for GM Daniel Briere.  Unlike the Devils, cap space isn’t a concern for the Flyers so they could have a bigger pool of players to potentially target.

The good news for these teams is that depth centers are a little easier to come by and the odd one finds their way onto the waiver wire as John Beecher did earlier this week.  The bad news is that with the number of teams seeking center help, New Jersey and Philadelphia will likely be battling several suitors even for the types of depth upgrades it appears that they’re looking to make.

Metropolitan Notes: Rangers, Dowd, Grebenkin

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The Rangers will be without a key forward tonight against Utah as Peter Baugh of The Athletic relays (Twitter link) that center J.T. Miller is listed as out day-to-day due to an upper-body injury.  In his first full season back with New York following a midseason trade in 2024-25, the 32-year-old is logging 20:41 per game and taking a regular turn on both special teams units.  However, as has been the case for a lot of the team so far, offense has been hard to come by as he has just six goals and six assists in 22 games despite seeing a lot of ice time on the top line.

Meanwhile, Baugh also noted that defenseman William Borgen remains listed as day-to-day with his upper-body injury which suggests he’ll miss a second straight game.  He has been a regular on the second pairing for the Rangers this season, picking up three points, 24 blocks, and 26 hits in 19 outings.

More from the Metropolitan:

  • Capitals center Nic Dowd was a full participant in practice today but will miss his third straight game tonight, relays Sammi Silber of The Hockey News. The 35-year-old has missed the last two contests due to an upper-body injury.  Dowd has a goal and four assists in 19 games so far this season while logging over 15 minutes per night of playing time.  Sonny Milano has played the last two games in Dowd’s absence and is expected to stay in the lineup for their game tonight against Tampa Bay.
  • The hope was that Flyers winger Nikita Grebenkin would be able to grab a hold of a full-time spot in the lineup this season. However, he has been scratched in seven of 19 games so far and has played just 9:35 per night in the dozen appearances he has made.  However, Jackie Spiegel of the Philadelphia Inquirer mentions that the organization is okay with how the 22-year-old has been handled, even with the limited action.  Grebenkin is waiver-exempt so if it’s decided that he could benefit from a bigger role and more ice time, they will be able to assign him to AHL Lehigh Valley to get him that opportunity.

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