Detroit Red Wings: 4 players who benefit from the Anthony Mantha trade
By Bob Heyrman
Evgeny Svechnikov will have more opportunities after the Detroit Red Wings traded Anthony Mantha.
This might be the last call for the former Detroit Red Wings first-round selection. Detroit selected Evgeny Svechnikov with the 19th overall pick in the 2015 NHL Entry Level Draft, but he’s struggled to make an impact within the organization.
Svechnikov is a 24-year old kid you want to root for.
His teammates love him, he’s friendly and upfront with the media, and so badly wants to be a regular in Detroit’s lineup. Svechnikov is his own worst enemy. He’s extremely critical of his own performances and has a habit of magnifying his errors which really weighs on his confidence.
The Detroit Red Wings need Svechnikov to think less and play the game. He’s a talented winger that has yet to scratch the surface of his overall potential but needs to keep his feet moving and make sure he’s effective in all three zones.
The Russian-born winger has appeared in just 14 games this season with the Red Wings. He’s scored three goals and added two assists while averaging just 11:06 minutes per game. He’s maintained a 50.9 Corsi For Percentage, which is well above the Red Wings’ team average.
With Bobby Ryan sidelined for the rest of 2021, Mantha traded, plus Robby Fabbri and Tyler Bertuzzi injured, Svechnikov should see plenty of opportunities over the next few weeks to play as a regular top-nine forward.
Svechnikov needs to be averaging about 15-minutes per night down the stretch so Yzerman can gauge if he’d like to retain the pending free agent at seasons’ end or go in a different direction.