A former 1st rounder has left the NHL, signs multi-year deal in top European league
After 172 career NHL games, spanning across parts of six seasons, a former first-round pick has apparently given up on his NHL dream, leaving North America to sign a new deal overseas. Evgeny Svechnikov has reportedly agreed to terms on a two-year contract worth 42.5 million rubles ($585,157 USD) per season with AK Bars Kazan of the KHL.
Svechnikov spent the 2022-23 season with the San Jose Sharks, where he set a new career-high in goals with 8. In his 59 games with the Sharks, Svechnikov tallied 14 points (8G, 6A), and also racked up 26 penalty minutes. He was a -6 over that span.
Svechnikov is still relatively young at only 26-years-old, so there may be some untapped potential there. A strong couple of seasons overseas may just put him back on the map for NHL clubs who may be looking to add a depth forward in the summer of 2025-26.
To date, Svechnikov has spent time in Winnipeg, Detroit and San Jose, accumulating 20 goals and 25 assists for a total of 45 points in his 172 games of NHL experience. He also played parts of 4 seasons in Grand Rapids in the AHL. He posted a career high 51 points in 74 games with the Griffins back in 2016-17.
| POLL | ||
Do you think Evgeny Svechnikov will return to North America in 2025? | ||
| Yes | 16 | 18.2 % |
| No | 44 | 50 % |
| Not Sure | 21 | 23.9 % |
| See Results | 7 | 8 % |
| List of polls | ||
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