Red Wings draft bust Evgeny Svechnikov officially done in the NHL
Photo credit: The Detroit Free Press
One of the bigger busts in recent Red Wings Draft history, Evgeny Svechnikov is done in the NHL after once again signing a contract in the KHL in Russia.
Current Red Wings GM Steve Yzerman didn't have much to work with when he came back to the organization thanks to numerous botched draft picks from
former GM Ken Holland.
Holland and former scouting director Tyler Wright drew the wrath of fans thanks to their multiple selections that never made an impact in the NHL or were complete busts, like Filip Zadina and
Dennis Cholowski.
Another notable bust was Evgeny Svechnikov, who was taken with the 19th pick in the 2015 NHL Entry Draft. While he had decent numbers with the AHL's Grand Rapids Griffins, who he helped to the Calder Cup championship in 2017, that success never carried over into the NHL.
It also didn't help that he suffered an ACL injury in 2018, further hampering his development. He later played with the Winnipeg Jets and San Jose Sharks before returning to his native Russia to play in the KHL.
He's played the last 2 years with Ak Bars Kazan and Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod in the KHL, and has just signed with his 3rd KHL team, Amur Khabarovsk.
In the NHL, he had 45 points (20G, 25A) in 172 games.
Last year with Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod, he had 24 points (13G, 11A) in 57 games.
His brother,
Andrei Svechnikov, has enjoyed far greater success in the NHL with the Carolina Hurricanes, making Red Wings fans wonder what could have been had Evgeny had a similar career path in the NHL.
Previously on Red Wings Insider
POLL |
JUILLET 12 | 208 ANSWERS Red Wings draft bust Evgeny Svechnikov officially done in the NHL Who was the biggest recent Red Wings Draft bust? |
Filip Zadina | 150 | 72.1 % |
Dennis Cholowski | 29 | 13.9 % |
Evgeny Svechnikov | 29 | 13.9 % |
List of polls |