At the End of the Day, Where Does Svechkov Slot Among His Peers
Even though Svechkov is a rising star, his potential could be limited by outside factors such as lineup competition. O'Reilly, Nashville's most prominent centerman figure, always takes up a space in the top six so that leaves one more for Svech. I almost forgot to mention that Stamkos, the winger, also takes up a center position in the top 2 lines. Svechkov isn't a winger, he's a center at heart. Where will he go?
His future is weird with the Predators. There are only a few ways we will see him up there with guys like Filip Forsberg and Jonathan Marchessault. Firstly, if there is an injury to either Stammer or O'Reilly at some point, Svech is the first person to get slotted there. Secondly, if O'Reilly (or Stammer) gets traded. And lastly, Head Coach Andrew Brunette puts Stamkos on the wing, opening up a center position.
I believe that he will begin the season on the third line alongside someone like Michael Bunting or Erik Haula. If he's surrounded with responsible, talented veterans, his progression should be good. He'll defintely get some special teams minutes to compensate. Through him on the penalty kill and power play and we got some stacked lines.