Detroit Red Wings: Evgeni Svechnikov on waivers is a dangerous game
By Tyler Kotila
The Detroit Red Wings have found themselves at a crossroads for roster moves several times this season. While they are not alone, and many other teams have also felt this way, the Red Wings have had to make some decisions that could impact their team.
One of the decisions that the Detroit Red Wings have had to make is what to do with Evgeni Svechnikov, who has been looking to work his way into the Red Wings forward core. Svechnikov has not even played more than 30 total games at the NHL level and is in a tough spot.
In a COVID-19 ridden season, the league made some adjustments to roster construction for NHL teams. They added a taxi squad and different procedures for how teams can move players around. Svechnikov is one of the players who was in sort of a limbo as the 2020-21 season kicked off, and the Grand Rapids Griffins had no idea when they would kick things off.
Many of these younger guys may have been put through waivers, even some veterans, to see if they could clear. It is not uncommon for bigger names to be put on waivers this year, even if they go unclaimed. Svechnikov was on the waiver wire on two different occasions so far in 2020-21.
The Detroit Red Wings needs to be careful with Evgeni Svechnikov and putting him on waivers.
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Svechnikov’s two trips to the waiver wire, where he passed through both times. No teams opted to take a chance on the forward.
He is now 24 years old, still looking to get into the NHL consistently. But the thing is, someone will be willing to give him a chance.
After all, he was the nineteenth overall pick in the 2015 NHL Entry Draft. Frankly, where he is right now, Svechnikov might just need a change of scenery where he will get consistent chances.
I am not personally advocating for a Svechnikov trade, but I could see a team being willing to take a chance on him.
Think about how Detroit Red Wings General Manager Steve Yzerman went out and got Brendan Perlini and Robby Fabbri.
Both players in need of a new home, and he brought them in with hopes of revitalizing their careers.
While each of them had different paths where Fabbri ended up excelling, and Perlini was unable to be anything more than a fourth-liner, Yzerman was willing to take a chance. This came from trades as well, not a waiver claim.
In this case, a team could be willing to bring in Svechnikov and just to see what he could do. In this case, the Red Wings need to be careful and mindful the next time they opt to test the waiver wire with Svechnikov.
His 2020-21 season may not have a ton of eye-popping stats, with ten games logged for three goals and two assists for five total points. He only got four point-less games in the NHL during the 2019-20 season and 14 in 2017-18 where he had two goals and two assists for four total games.
It just seems like a bad idea to keep testing the waiver wire by moving Svechnikov around. Putting him in a consistent role on this Red Wings team might lead to him showing some promise.
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It’s a dangerous game to keep putting him on waivers, so the Red Wings need to be mindful of this.