Prospect Info: #19 OA - C/W Evgeny Svechnikov, QMJHL

[MBH]

Not when he's playing with Larkin. It really nullifies Larkin's speed when his 2 wingers can't even come close to keeping up.

Svech is just a fill in until the other prospects are ready. I don't see any long term potential unless he make a miraculous improvement in his skating. I leave open the possibility that anything can happen considering Erne looks like a legit NHL player this season.

You don't need to skate at Larkin's level. That's crazy.
Differences in skating can actually help create openings and lanes.
Erne was always a decent depth guy.
I don't expect he'll keep scoring 9 goals every 48 shots.
I sure hope Yzerman understands that during contract negotiations.

 

[Rzombo4 prez]

Preaching to the choir, I think it's a no brainer for teams to invest in this, too. I'm also not sure how much the teams can pay for, especially during the off-season, because of the cap. It might be something where the team can find the person, they can bring them in on team time, but if it's during the off-season the player has to foot the cost. I don't know how if any of this stuff is covered by the CBA.

Look, these aren't hapless high school athletes here. Svech's inability to improve his skating beyond its current level has nothing to do with a lack of access to skating coaches. Trust me when I tell you that he has spent tons of time with skating coaches when he wasn't injured. Hell, his skating has actually improved a lot since his Q days. In 2021, as soon as you sign on with an agency, they are arranging private skating coaches, individual skill coaches, physical trainers and nutritionists for you as a condition of the engagement (presuming that you don't already have ones that your agent approves of). NHL players are better viewed as independent contractors who make substantial personal investments in their career through specialized training. They don't leave much of anything to the organization except for certain therapy services. One of the reasons that teams don't hire skating coaches is because everyone in the organization already has their own coach who they prefer to work with.

All of the low hanging fruit has already been picked.

 

[MBH]

Look, these aren't hapless high school athletes here. Svech's inability to improve his skating beyond its current level has nothing to do with a lack of access to skating coaches. Trust me when I tell you that he has spent tons of time with skating coaches when he wasn't injured. Hell, his skating has actually improved a lot since his Q days. In 2021, as soon as you sign on with an agency, they are arranging private skating coaches, individual skill coaches, physical trainers and nutritionists for you as a condition of the engagement (presuming that you don't already have ones that your agent approves of). NHL players are better viewed as independent contractors who make substantial personal investments in their career through specialized training. They don't leave much of anything to the organization except for certain therapy services. One of the reasons that teams don't hire skating coaches is because everyone in the organization already has their own coach who they prefer to work with.

All of the low hanging fruit has already been picked.

I agree that Svech has worked on his skating.
I don't agree that he's better than he was when he came in as a pro.
I think the knee injuries definitely robbed him of some ability.

 

[Gniwder]

You don't need to skate at Larkin's level. That's crazy.
Differences in skating can actually help create openings and lanes.
Erne was always a decent depth guy.
I don't expect he'll keep scoring 9 goals every 48 shots.
I sure hope Yzerman understands that during contract negotiations.

Larkin is most effective when using his speed, he doesn't shield the puck well enough for a guy like Svech to catch up to the play. Svech has got to be able to skate well enough to at least be a trailer on a play like this:

(See third goal)


Erne isn't going to get big money until he's better defensively. Not sure why that came up, but I'd rather see him with Larkin than Svech. His effort level is enough to earn him a decent raise though.

 

[Gniwder]

Look, these aren't hapless high school athletes here. Svech's inability to improve his skating beyond its current level has nothing to do with a lack of access to skating coaches. Trust me when I tell you that he has spent tons of time with skating coaches when he wasn't injured. Hell, his skating has actually improved a lot since his Q days. In 2021, as soon as you sign on with an agency, they are arranging private skating coaches, individual skill coaches, physical trainers and nutritionists for you as a condition of the engagement (presuming that you don't already have ones that your agent approves of). NHL players are better viewed as independent contractors who make substantial personal investments in their career through specialized training. They don't leave much of anything to the organization except for certain therapy services. One of the reasons that teams don't hire skating coaches is because everyone in the organization already has their own coach who they prefer to work with.

All of the low hanging fruit has already been picked.

If that's the case, then that's just another coach that the team needs to replace and upgrade.

As a person that coached ski instructors, I always welcomed outside clinicians to coach our instructors even though it meant I didn't get paid. Nobody is an expert in every aspect of skiing, and likewise it's the same with skating. That coaching role should be more like a coordinator that brings in consultants based on need. Acceleration, edgework, top speed, etc. Also, it's good to have various perspectives instead of getting locked into a single viewpoint on how things have to be done.

 

[14ari13]

I am glad if Yzerman has changed his mind and wants to give him a new chance.

 

[Gniwder]

I am glad if Yzerman has changed his mind and wants to give him a new chance.

Injuries and trades. He'll be out of the lineup as soon as Fabbri gets back.

Flip is outplaying him right now, 5 pts in 6 games since his return. Svech has 1 pt in his last 10 games and playing with Larkin really makes him look slower than he already is.

He's been more or less useless and still skates like he smokes 2 packs a day.

 

[14ari13]

Injuries and trades. He'll be out of the lineup as soon as Fabbri gets back.

Flip is outplaying him right now, 5 pts in 6 games since his return. Svech has 1 pt in his last 10 games and playing with Larkin really makes him look slower than he already is.

He's been more or less useless and still skates like he smokes 2 packs a day.

I think he was good.

Both Nielsen and Fillpula looked good after being scratched, though Nielsen was not brutal as before whole Fillpula looked decent. But it won't last for a long.

 

[Gniwder]

Injured again, gonna miss the next game too.

Red Wings' Evgeny Svechnikov: Dealing with injury

 

[MBH]

Larkin is most effective when using his speed, he doesn't shield the puck well enough for a guy like Svech to catch up to the play. Svech has got to be able to skate well enough to at least be a trailer on a play like this:



Erne isn't going to get big money until he's better defensively. Not sure why that came up, but I'd rather see him with Larkin than Svech. His effort level is enough to earn him a decent raise though.

The idea that Larkin is too fast to play with Svechnikov is monkey piss. The NHL has a long history of fast guys on lines with slow guys.

 

[Filppula]

Injured again, gonna miss the next game too.

Red Wings' Evgeny Svechnikov: Dealing with injury

Yeah, I’m almost done.

 

[Gniwder]

The idea that Larkin is too fast to play with Svechnikov is monkey piss. The NHL has a long history of fast guys on lines with slow guys.

Well, the NHL has a long history of slow guys, but the game has changed quite a bit in just the last 5 years.

He's cleared waivers twice already, at some point you're gonna have to face the reality that he's not an NHL player. Certainly doesn't belong on the first line of any team, much less with one of the fastest players in the league.

 

[MBH]

Well, the NHL has a long history of slow guys, but the game has changed quite a bit in just the last 5 years.

He's cleared waivers twice already, at some point you're gonna have to face the reality that he's not an NHL player. Certainly doesn't belong on the first line of any team, much less with one of the fastest players in the league.

Again your premise has no basis.

 

[MBH]

Limited sample size, obviously.
But I wanted to check.
And look at that.
Svechnikov's CF% with Larkin is 63 percent.
With Mantha it's 56 percent.

With centers, he's been good with Larkin/Namestnikov. Not good with Rasmussen and Nielsen.

 

[Reddwit]

Red Wings' Evgeny Svechnikov: Dealing with injury

This sounds like the title of his future autobiography.

 

[Gniwder]

View attachment 423411

Limited sample size, obviously.
But I wanted to check.
And look at that.
Svechnikov's CF% with Larkin is 63 percent.
With Mantha it's 56 percent.

With centers, he's been good with Larkin/Namestnikov. Not good with Rasmussen and Nielsen.

LOL, still Corsi watching. If you're gonna watch stats, why not mention he's got 1 pt in his last 10 games while going -3 while getting sheltered time? He's not playing on the top line in defensive situations when the team has a lead.

It's absolutely amazing that clearing waivers means nothing to you. At least now he's got half as many games as Brome, so you can't say he didn't get a chance. He probably would've played the same number of games if he didn't get injured.... again.

 

[MBH]

LOL, still Corsi watching. If you're gonna watch stats, why not mention he's got 1 pt in his last 10 games while going -3 while getting sheltered time? He's not playing on the top line in defensive situations when the team has a lead.

It's absolutely amazing that clearing waivers means nothing to you. At least now he's got half as many games as Brome, so you can't say he didn't get a chance. He probably would've played the same number of games if he didn't get injured.... again.

Waivers has never meant less than it does this year, with quarantine rules, immigration rules, and other onboarding hassles.

 

[MBH]

I like Svechnikov.

He's easily among our best passers in transition. Easily. He makes so many smart, heady plays to get the puck out of our zone WITH POSSESSION.
He's heavy along the wall.
He goes to the net.

Unless he's taken in the expansion draft, I hope he's res-signed and in the top 9, playing for a new coach here in Detroit.
A third line of Svechnikov-Namestnikov-Berggren might be really nice for Detroit.

 

[Slim]

I like Svechnikov.

He's easily among our best passers in transition. Easily. He makes so many smart, heady plays to get the puck out of our zone WITH POSSESSION.
He's heavy along the wall.
He goes to the net.

Unless he's taken in the expansion draft, I hope he's res-signed and in the top 9, playing for a new coach here in Detroit.
A third line of Svechnikov-Namestnikov-Berggren might be really nice for Detroit.

I think Svech would be a top 6 player if his skating was a tad better and if he could stay out of the nasty injury cycle he has been on. He has an instinct for the game that few have in our line up at this point. He has a great anticipation, that is more or less impossible to learn (at least at this age), you either have it or not. He also plays heavy as you said and he makes small, smart plays that sadly too often fail because his line mates generally do not possess his smarts.

I would not be against of keeping him on and really try to work on his skating. I know it might seem a bit late to work on his skating, but I believe you can definitely still improve skating at his age, albeit probably not to a great extent, but I feel just a slight enhancement in his skating would lift his over all game a lot and make him a valuable player for this team going forward.

 

[Lil Sebastian Cossa]

The idea that Larkin is too fast to play with Svechnikov is monkey piss. The NHL has a long history of fast guys on lines with slow guys.

Right... but the fast guys with slow guys are the type of fast guy like McDavid where speed is one of his tools. Larkin basically needs to be going full-bore or his effectiveness dips. Larkin is an effort guy. It's why he's a perfect 2C. He's a tireless skater who hounds people. So, it's not that Larkin is too fast to play with him. It's that Larkin's skill and pace of game does not fit with what Svechnikov might possibly be good at if he could stop getting hurt. You want a guy like Larkin on a line like what the Grind Line used to do. Hound the opposition into mistakes by being all over them. That's not Svechnikov's game.

So while a fast guy can work with a slow guy... Larkin and Svech aren't going to work together optimally because their skills are diametrically opposed.

 

[14ari13]

I think Svech would be a top 6 player if his skating was a tad better and if he could stay out of the nasty injury cycle he has been on. He has an instinct for the game that few have in our line up at this point. He has a great anticipation, that is more or less impossible to learn (at least at this age), you either have it or not. He also plays heavy as you said and he makes small, smart plays that sadly too often fail because his line mates generally do not possess his smarts.

I would not be against of keeping him on and really try to work on his skating. I know it might seem a bit late to work on his skating, but I believe you can definitely still improve skating at his age, albeit probably not to a great extent, but I feel just a slight enhancement in his skating would lift his over all game a lot and make him a valuable player for this team going forward.

I want him back. He has the talent. Yzerman has to find him a place.

 

[MBH]

Right... but the fast guys with slow guys are the type of fast guy like McDavid where speed is one of his tools. Larkin basically needs to be going full-bore or his effectiveness dips. Larkin is an effort guy. It's why he's a perfect 2C. He's a tireless skater who hounds people. So, it's not that Larkin is too fast to play with him. It's that Larkin's skill and pace of game does not fit with what Svechnikov might possibly be good at if he could stop getting hurt. You want a guy like Larkin on a line like what the Grind Line used to do. Hound the opposition into mistakes by being all over them. That's not Svechnikov's game.

So while a fast guy can work with a slow guy... Larkin and Svech aren't going to work together optimally because their skills are diametrically opposed.

That's absolute nonsense.
You're just making up crap.

Svech's little touch passes on the tape are exactly the kinds of things that can hit Larkin in full flight in the neutral zone or getting to full flight in the Dzone.
And then Svech can follow up the play.

Svech has the size and skill and puck shielding ability to work the cycle, and Larkin is pretty strong on the cycle.

 

[MBH]

I think Svech would be a top 6 player if his skating was a tad better and if he could stay out of the nasty injury cycle he has been on. He has an instinct for the game that few have in our line up at this point. He has a great anticipation, that is more or less impossible to learn (at least at this age), you either have it or not. He also plays heavy as you said and he makes small, smart plays that sadly too often fail because his line mates generally do not possess his smarts.

I would not be against of keeping him on and really try to work on his skating. I know it might seem a bit late to work on his skating, but I believe you can definitely still improve skating at his age, albeit probably not to a great extent, but I feel just a slight enhancement in his skating would lift his over all game a lot and make him a valuable player for this team going forward.

I agree. But I don't think he's ever going to be much better as a skater.
I just don't believe he has to be. He can ride as a winger anywhere in the top 9 and help the second powerplay unit.

 

[Slim]

I agree. But I don't think he's ever going to be much better as a skater.
I just don't believe he has to be. He can ride as a winger anywhere in the top 9 and help the second powerplay unit.

I have honestly no idea if he can become a better skater at this moment, maybe it has already been tried, as Rombo said above, to ad nauseam and the small improvement we have witnessed earlier is all there is. I do believe though that for every step he takes in the skating department there will be an exponetial (maybe not literally) growth in his overall performance and I feel that, together with staying healthy for an extended period of time, is the key with Svech. Without those two boxes checked, I am afraid he will not merit being kept on the team in a year or two due to the influx of talent to the team.

 

[Gniwder]

Waivers has never meant less than it does this year, with quarantine rules, immigration rules, and other onboarding hassles.

None of which applies to Svech. Also didn't keep keep Stevie from claiming Djoos. You can't even use the salary cap as an excuse since he basically makes league min.

He looked OK out there with Helm & LGD, and he cycles the puck well but he's just too damned slow. Zero chance he's in the long term plans even if he gets a roster spot next season.