If any concerns were surrounding Andrei Svechnikov entering year one of his eight-year contract extension, pretty much all of them have been put to rest in the early stages of the new year.
The 2020-21 campaign was a difficult one for Carolina’s young star. He went through long periods where it felt like everything went wrong for him. He didn’t get the bounces, his on-ice confidence wavered, and inconsistent results persisted as a result.
For someone like Svechnkov, though, those stretches can be disguised because of his raw talent. If he’s seeing ice time, pucks will end up in the back of the net, but it looks different.