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Andrei Svechnikov 2021-22 By the Numbers
- Age: 21
- NHL Seasons: 4
- Scoring: 30 goals, 39 assists, 69 points in 78 games
- Playoff Scoring: 4 goals, 1 assist, 5 points in 14 games
- Advanced Statistics: 62.13 CF%, 63.81 SCF%, 63.91 xGF%, 68.13 GF%
- Average TOI: 14:22 ES, 2:52 PP, 0:00 SH
- Contract Status: On an 8-year, $7.75 million AAV deal through 2028-29
It’s obviously what happens when you make your NHL debut as a teenager, but it’s hard to believe that Andrei Svechnikov is just barely 22-years old now after four strong seasons in the NHL.
What he’s done so far in his career has been pretty remarkable considering that he couldn’t buy a drink in the US for the majority of it, and as he approaches the age where other guys start to make their NHL debuts he’s rounding into somewhat of a very young veteran.
Before the 2021-22 season got underway, Svechnikov locked in some long-term security with the Hurricanes, signing an eight-year, $7.75 million AAV extension that will keep him in Carolina through the 2028-29 season (which will hilariously just be his age-28 season).
And immediately out of the gate, Svechnikov let the Hurricanes know what they already knew in the fact that the deal was absolutely worth it.
Svechnikov had two goals and an assist in Carolina’s season-opening win over the Islanders, and he followed that up with a goal in each of the next two games. In fact, Svechnikov started the season on a seven-game point streak, putting up an absurd 13 points in the Hurricanes’ season-opening nine-game win streak.
And Svechnikov really never slowed down too much. He recorded at least a point in 45 of the 78 games that he played in. He had multiple points in 20 of those games, including a wild streak of five straight games in February where he had two points in all five.
He had a few droughts during the season where he didn’t produce as well, but the droughts were followed by hot streaks. That’s how it goes.
Svechnikov, for the most part, did what he really does best. He got to his areas and he got shots off. His 249 shots on goal led the Hurricanes by a wide margin (Aho was second with 221), and he also used his physicality well as he has always done. Svechnikov finished second on the team to only Jordan Staal with 189 hits.
In the analytics side of things, Svechnikov was pretty much second on the team to only Aho kind of across the board among those who played consistently. He was second with 5.7 offensive point shares, second with 7.9 total point shares.
His 69 points, 39 assists and 30 goals were all career highs, though his 2019-20 pace was definitely better before the season ended prematurely.
The biggest issue with Svechnikov, one that has been with him his whole career, is that he still struggled to stay out of the penalty box. With a career-high 79 penalty minutes on the season, Svechnikov was second on the Canes behind only Ian Cole.
Still, his regular season was a pretty strong one.
But then in the playoffs, Svechnikov hit a bit of a bump like a lot of guys on the Hurricanes. He had four goals and only one assist over 14 games, failing to register a point in 10 playoff games. He had one single point in the New York Rangers series.
That part of the puzzle was a little disappointing for Svechnikov. His five playoff points tied a career low despite playing more games in 2022. He had five points in nine games as a rookie in the playoffs, seven points in six games the next year and then eight points in 11 games last season.
But as the Hurricanes’ power play and offense started to sputter in the playoffs, so to did Svechnikov’s.
All in all, Svechnikov is still getting better. That much is obvious when you look at his numbers and just watch him play. He’s going to mature, he’s going to continue to score and he’s going to become the player the Hurricanes committed $62 million to. He is, after all, still only 22.
Exit Interview
Poll
How would you grade Andrei Svechnikov’s 2021-22 season?
This poll is closed
-
20%
A - Outstanding Performance
(73 votes) -
66%
B - Above Average Performance
(241 votes) -
12%
C - Average Performance
(45 votes) -
0%
D - Below Average Performance
(1 vote) -
0%
F - Significantly Below Average Performance
(2 votes)
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