** NHLRumors.com transcription
Kyle Bukauskas: “Okay, let’s bring the Svechnikov here, Friedge. Like, talk about a story that came out of nowhere, at least on the outside here. So you had that as part of your Saturday headlines. Now things seem to be much better than they were early this year, but describe what all you’ve learned and heard with Svechnikov and the Hurricanes, at least, to start this season.”
Friedman: “So it was, it was Saturday afternoon, and you know, you call and you try to, you know, see what’s going on there. And you know, someone said to me, have you heard that Svechnikov is available? And I was like, what? I thought they were talking about his brother, and I thought, and I was like, mean, the Svechnikov of Carolina? Like, Andrei Svechnikov? And the guy said to me, ‘Yeah, like this one.’ And I say, ‘No way.’ And he said, ‘You have to look at it.’
NHL Injuries: Ducks, Bruins, Wild, Devils, Penguins, Lightning, Leaves, Mammoths, Capitals and More
So I called a few times, and basically it was like this, as explained. You know, he was early in the year and struggling. He had no points in his first eight games and was on the fourth line. And there was one game, I think he played 11:48. But his ice age was far below.
And I think it was somewhere around that time that he said, “Look, if you guys want to trade places with me because you’re not happy with me, or you don’t think I fit in here, then I’m not going to be against it.”
And I don’t know how it got to the teams, but it got to the teams. And I think they got a call, and I don’t know who. I’d love to tell you who I think called, but I just don’t know. But you know, they called and I heard Carolina say to them, “You know what, we don’t want to do this, and we’re not inclined to do this, but if you want to make us a sample offer, like a sample offer, we’ll think about it, or consider it,” whatever.
And I don’t think these stories sometimes trigger things anymore. This didn’t happen. I don’t think they have anything that they would even remotely consider doing. In the meantime it has resolved itself. He’s back on the first line with Aho and Jarvis, and he’s producing. On Saturday they lost 4-1 in Buffalo. Suddenly hot Buffalo. Won three of the last four. Luukkonen won two in a row.
But before that, he had 12 points in 13 games. His ice time was back on track. So I think this has really cooled down for now. But the only reason you keep it on your radar, and what really stood out to me was that it just indicated that, you know, if Svechnikov ever gets back to a place where he’s not happy with his use, this could all flare up again.
But overall I got the picture of a guy who is quite valuable according to the organization, and overall he’s quite happy there.
But you know, as someone said to me on Sunday morning, Kyle, it’s just another example of players flexing their muscles right now. Like they’re saying, ‘Hey, I’m not happy here. I’m not willing to be as patient as I used to be.” As we talked about this on Friday, there’s (Pavel) Mintyukov, there’s (Brad) Lambert from Winnipeg, there’s Svechnikov, although it seems to have calmed down now, Kyle. It’s so that the players are no longer shy, if they are, if they are not happy.’
Bukauskas: “Well, I was wondering. If this was a culmination of things that had happened, I don’t know, years, something from last season? Where do you have a guy that, I mean, you brought into your organization, a high draft pick in 2018. A team that’s made the playoffs every year, they’ve been competitive. He’s been a big part of that. I know there’s…”
Friedman: “Very important.”
Bukauskas: “…times where he was missed due to injury. But it just seems strange that after all that, and eight games into the year, it’s not an ideal start for the lineup, and suddenly, wait a minute. Now we’re looking at, or at least considering the idea of moving on. It seemed a bit of a reflex, but to your point, maybe that’s a bit of the era we’re entering here, in some cases. Players and representatives aren’t afraid to relax that compared to the past.”
Friedman: “I’ll tell you this too, and everyone I dealt with here was very professional. And another team called me on Sunday and they said they hated how this stuff is coming out. They basically said, that’s actually three in a week, right? And I just said, ‘You can’t blame journalists for being great at their jobs.'”
Bukauskas: “That is, I wonder, yes, that is another feather in my cap.”
NHL Rumors: Andrei Svechnikov was open to a trade earlier this season
Friedman: “No, I don’t think that way. But that’s just the way it is, is it that way? When teams are desperately trying to keep things like this under control.”
Have you subscribed to our YouTube channel? Rumors overviews and hot topics from around the league. We also post some stuff Instagram.
#NHL #Rumors #Carolina #Hurricanes #Andrei #Svechnikov #Speculation