Hurricanes forward Andrei Svechnikov will have knee surgery, miss rest of the season

The hockey season is over for Andrei Svechnikov of the Carolina Hurricanes.

The team said Tuesday the all-star forward will undergo season-ending surgery on Thursday for a right knee injury suffered Saturday against the Vegas Golden Knights.

The reconstructive surgery on his ACL will be performed by Dr. Marty Isbell of Raleigh Orthopaedic, the team said.

“It’s devastating, to be quite honest, because everybody loves the guy so much,” Canes coach Rod Brind’Amour said Tuesday after the Canes’ 5-3 win over Winnipeg.

Don Waddell, the team president and general manager, said the decision was made after consultation with “global experts in the field.”

“We’re confident Andrei will make a full recovery,” Waddell said in a statement.

Svechnikov, 22, is one of the more dynamic young power forwards in the league and made his first NHL All-Star Game appearance this season.

“I hate it for him more than anything, because he’s worked so hard to get to this point of the year when it’s fun,” Brind’Amour said after Tuesday’s morning skate. “He’s not going to be a part of it going forward. It’s tough.”

Svechnikov, 22, was injured Saturday at PNC Arena, favoring his right leg after making a pivot on the ice.. He left the game for evaluation, and later returned to play in the third period.

Svechnikov’s loss is a huge hit for the Canes, the Metropolitan Divisions leaders. He has been playing on the Canes’ top line with Sebastian Aho and Seth Jarvis, and was tied with Aho for second on the team with 55 points before Tuesday’s game against Winnipeg.

Forward Martin Necas, the team’s leading scorer, said he spoke with Svechnikov on Monday night.

“Obviously, he was sad. I was sad, as well,” Necas said Tuesday. “We all feel sorry for him because it’s not the best injury and it’s probably going to take a while. Obviously I feel so bad for him that he cannot keep playing with us this season.

“It’s a big loss for us. But as a team, for us, we just keep playing the same way. We always do that when we’re missing some guys. We have a big group and whoever steps in is going to play his best. No one can be ‘Svech’ in this group. There’s only one ‘Svech.’ We’ve just got to play our game and the system we play. Just stick with it and hopefully we can keep winning for him.”

Winger Jesse Puljujarvi, recently acquired from the Edmonton Oilers, was on the Aho line with Jarvis at the skate. The Canes recalled forward Jack Drury from the AHL Chicago Wolves on Monday, and Drury was centering the fourth line at the skate.

The Canes (43-14-8) were leading the New Jersey Devils in winning percentage in the Metro before Tuesday’s game. Svechnikov traveled with the team to New Jersey for the game Sunday — the Devils winning 3-0 — but was unable to play.

Necas said Svechnikov later sent a group text to the team explaining the situation with his injury.

Svechnikov’s older brother, Evgeny, tore his right ACL in a 2018 preseason game while with the Detroit Red Wings.

“I feel bad for him,” Canes captain Jordan Staal said Tuesday. “We’re ready for a big playoff push and to get that news is unfortunate. We feel for him and as a group we have to move on, obviously, and find ways to fill that big hole that he has created.

“It is part of the game and unfortunate timing. We feel bad for him.”