Jets saying goodbye to popular Svechnikov

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This article was published 11/07/2022 (1157 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

HE quickly became one of the most popular players on the Winnipeg Jets, displaying a vibrant personality in a series of team-produced videos.

But it would appear the Evgeny Svechnikov era is over after just one season.

Svechnikov, 25, was not tendered a qualifying offer by Monday’s deadline, meaning he will become an unrestricted free agent as of Wednesday. The colourful Russian winger, who attended Winnipeg’s training camp last fall on a tryout and parlayed that into a one-year deal that paid him US$750,000, had seven goals and 12 assists in 72 regular-season games.

Svechnikov was the 19th-overall pick in the 2015 draft by Detroit, which decided not to extend a qualifying offer his way last summer. After signing in Winnipeg he bounced up and down the lineup, finding chemistry early in the year on a top line with Pierre-Luc Dubois and Kyle Connor. But he struggled with consistency, at times being demoted and even healthy scratched by coach Paul Maurice and, later in the year, interim bench boss Dave Lowry.

Winnipeg would have had to pay at least US$900,000 to retain his rights under terms set out for restricted free agents, although there’s no guarantee he would have agreed to that offer.

It’s possible the Jets and Svechnikov could still negotiate a new deal that would pay him less than the qualifying offer, just as they did a couple of years back with defenceman Joe Morrow. But that seems unlikely given the numbers involved. More likely, they either believe they can fill his roster spot with someone already in the organization on an entry-level deal or plan to be active when free agency begins later this week.

Some internal options to find full-time work this coming year include Cole Perfetti, David Gustafsson and Kristian Reichel, who all saw limited action last year with the big club before suffering injuries. The Jets also have to fill holes expected to be left by pending UFA forwards Paul Stastny, Zach Sanford, Adam Brooks, Austin Poganski, CJ Suess and Luke Johnson.

Winnipeg had to make decisions by Monday afternoon on 10 pending RFA’s, offering as much as a 20 per raise on their previous deal. Manitoba Moose defenceman Markus Phillips, obtained in a trade last year with Los Angeles, was also not qualified. The other eight were, including forwards Dubois, Gustafsson, Mason Appleton, Jansen Harkins, Kristian Vesalainen and Jeff Malott, along with defencemen Leon Gawanke and Johnathan Kovacevic.

Vesalainen has already signed a contract to play this coming season in Sweden. By extending him a qualifying offer, Winnipeg retains his NHL rights should he ever decide to return to North America.

This is just the first step in the process. Now, the players and their agents must decide whether to accept the initial offer, or reject them and continue negotiations with the Jets. Some, like Dubois, can elect for arbitration which would mean a third-party awards either a one or two-year deal following a contested hearing later this summer, assuming a contract can’t be worked out by then.

mike.mcintyre@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @mikemcintyrewpg