As the Carolina Hurricanes begin the 2023-24 season, there will be eyes on certain players. New faces are joining the team, so questions will be asked before puck drops. Will Martin Necas build upon his career season? Is this the year that Seth Jarvis has a breakout season? Can Frederik Andersen carry his strong postseason play into the new season? These are just a few questions, but the key X-factor for the Hurricanes will be a player returning from injury.
The Return of Svechnikov
Every team experiences injuries throughout the season, but you weather the storm and push through. However, the injury to power forward winger Andrei Svechnikov heavily impacted the club, and his presence was missing. Svechnikov brings a physical element to the lineup, forechecks hard and is unafraid to finish his checks. This was sorely lacking in the Eastern Conference Final against the Florida Panthers. In addition, he is the team’s biggest scoring threat on the wings, making him a player to watch for the opposition. Furthermore, he was on pace for a career season before tearing his ACL, so seeing him regain that form will be an X-factor heading into the season.
Picking Up Where He Left Off
The goal and expectation for Svechnikov entering the 2023-24 season is picking up where he left off. He was on pace for a career-high 70 points while lighting the lamp 29 times. Furthermore, he generated 24.5 expected goals and finished with 23, so his goal-scoring was noticeable. The critical factor that makes this special is that his 1.27 expected goals per 60 minutes finished fourth on the team. For a team lacking finishing ability, he was a steady presence in providing a scoring punch. His production has been stable since he put on the Hurricanes jersey, so the team has gotten everything they’d expect from the third-overall pick. However, there is more to his game than just producing.
Related: 3 Keys to a Successful Carolina Hurricanes Season
This season, he was one of the best players for the Hurricanes. His 67% Corsi For (CF) was fourth best on the team, and his 65% Fenwick For (FF) showed how good he was at getting the puck on the net through traffic and unblocked. Svechnikov plays exactly how his head coach Rod Brind’Amour wants him to play. He is hard on pucks, and his 140 hits show he is ready to wear down the opponent. Defensively, he finished with 35 takeaways and a lowly 17 blocked shots. His production will be a crucial factor, but so will the chemistry he had brewing with his linemate.
Regaining Chemistry
Having chemistry with your teammates is vital to success individually as well as a team. During the 2022-23 season, Svechnikov built chemistry with Necas, and the duo thrived together. They both played on the second line and had a rotation of centers in Paul Stastny and Jesperi Kotkaniemi. However, between the two of them, good things happened when they were on the ice.
Chemistry with Necas was evident, and keeping them together is essential. The two wingers were dominant at generating offense, as they finished with 30.2 expected goals for. When on the ice together, the duo scored 27 goals and were dominant with possessing the puck (61.02 CF, 59.44 FF). One area they did a great job in was the high-danger area, as they generated 140 attempts from the area and scored 14 goals. It was a delight to see and a critical factor in the team’s offense. While the chemistry is excellent, individually factoring in is the most important takeaway.
Factoring in Entirely
For the most part, you know what you are getting with this roster. Everyone that played last year did not have a season-ending injury, so health is the comforting part. Furthermore, the high-impact players know what they are bringing to the table, and you know what you are receiving.
With Svechnikov, you know what you are getting, but coming off an injury is never easy. He is one of the most impactful players on the roster, and having him at the top of his game would do wonders for the team going forward.
