It wasn’t the way anybody had anticipated the season playing out.
Carolina Hurricanes’ star forward Andrei Svechnikov was on pace for a career season, building on the big year he had had in the prior season, but with one subtle play, his season was ended in an instant and he’s been forced to watch his team from afar while rehabbing a torn ACL.
“It’s tough,” Svechnikov said in a media appearance during Game 1 of the first round. “In the season, it was kind of okay, but right now, once I sit down and I see this atmosphere and what we’re playing for and everything comes together, it’s kind of tough to watch and not play side by side with my boys.