Hurricanes' Svechnikov to miss opener as ACL recovery continues

Andrei Svechnikov will not be ready for the start of the NHL campaign after all.

The Carolina Hurricanes winger is ruled out for Wednesday's home opener against the Ottawa Senators and likely won't travel with the club on the six-game road trip that follows it, head coach Rod Brind'Amour said Tuesday, per North State Journal's Cory Lavalette.

Svechnikov suffered a torn ACL in March. In August, he was expected to be ready for the start of the 2023-24 season.

The 23-year-old power forward produced 23 goals and 32 assists in 64 games with the Canes last season. He's expected to be a fixture in Carolina's top-six forward group when he returns to game action.

The Hurricanes selected Svechnikov second overall in the 2018 NHL Draft. He's tallied 264 points in 347 career games across five campaigns. He's set to enter the third season of the eight-year, $62-million contract he signed in August 2021.