The Nashville Predators just secured another one of their developing pieces, this time it being center Fedor Svechkov.
Svechkov, 22, agreed to sign a two-year contract worth $1.25 million average-annual-value. He has three goals and 10 assists in 58 games played this season. It's a slight drop-off from his 17-point campaign in his rookie season, which lasted 52 games.
The 6-foot, 187-pound Russia Native was drafted 19th overall by the Preds in the 2021 NHL Entry Draft. Since his rookie lap, Svechkov has become a staple to Nashville's two-way game. The contract extension follows fellow teammate Zachary L'Heureux's two-year extension with the team. It is only the beginning of the youth movement in Smashville, and it is here to stay.
Svechkov showed tons of promise in his return to the lineup
Following a 14-game pointless streak and an upper-body injury, Preds General Manager Barry Trotz assigned Svechkov to the Milwaukee Admirals in the AHL for a conditioning stint. He scored five goals and tally three assists before he was called back up to the Preds lineup in early March.
In his return Svechkov immediately went to work, recording an assist. He continued the momentum in the next four games, potting two more assists and scoring his first goal since December. However, recently, Svechkov has gone quiet with zero points in his last four games.
While he remained off the scoresheet, his performance is nothing to be ashamed of. In the Predators heater of a four-game win streak, Svechkov played a more defensive role, racking up four hits and one blocked shot, per Moneypuck. Additionally, he prompted three takeaways between his last two games. He's sticking up for his team when straight offense isn't readily available for him.
A sign of promise is the increase of his faceoff win-percentage numbers. In his rookie season, he had a 36.7 win-percentage; this season he has a 42.9 win-percentage, a near six percent increase. While it might not seem like much for some, growth is growth, and he's clearly showing it.
The Predators lock up another youngster; who's next?
With L'Heureux and Svechkov down, the Predators now have four NHL contracts left to work with. The youngest among the expiring group, Justin Barron, hasn't shown as much development as Svechkov has. In 104 games with the club, the defenseman has six goals and 13 assists. Seven of those assists are attributed to this season.
I will cut him some slack though because the stats don't lie. He has the sixth most blocked shots on the Preds this season with 43 and the second most per 60 minutes with 4.54. He has the fourth highest defensive zone giveaways at 31, ranking four under Roman Josi with 35. Barron also isn't the most physical defenseman, having the seventh least hits on the team with 28.
He is often overshadowed by his linemates Nicolas Hague, Nick Perbix, and Adam Wilsby. Even with all the stats at hand, I just don't see Nashville re-signing him. The right-handed defender is already pressured by up-and-coming prospects Ryan Ufko and Andrew Gibson. Keeping him in the lineup any longer will shroud the younger guys of more opportunities, which recent Preds success may push the team to pursue the youth more.
Tyson Jost and Erik Haula are still up for grabs. I can see both of them getting offers with Jost being a priority due to his recent performance. Andreas Englund is under NHL contract, yet has been given little NHL time this season and has been stuck in MIlwaukee for the majority of his contract.
The team won't be able to instantly re-sign some of their other young guns but they might make an early move on locking them up for the future once the offseason kicks in.