from Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press,

The Detroit Red Wings sound like they hope Evgeny Svechnikov will remain with the organization, but they left themselves vulnerable to losing a former first-round pick for nothing when they placed him on waivers Monday....

“Unfortunately, Evgeny has had a number of injuries so he hasn’t been able to show a full kind of season of where he is at,” coach Jeff Blashill said Monday. “But we also have to make roster decisions and you’re restricted to your roster.

"Nothing is permanent. You have that risk, potentially, of losing guys, but let’s see where we’re at here at noon tomorrow.”

Evgeny Svechnikov at Detroit Red Wings training camp practice in Little Caesars Arena, Jan. 2, 2021.

Svechnikov, 24, might appeal to another team. He has size (6-feet-3, 208 pounds), works incredibly hard, and is on a one-year, $874,125 deal and will still be a restricted free agent upon expiration.

One intriguing possibility is the Carolina Hurricanes, Thursday's 2021 opening opponent and home to Svechnikov’s younger brother, Andrei. The two have talked multiple times of their dream of playing against one another in the NHL; now maybe it will be together. Another possibility is former Wings GM Ken Holland, now with the Edmonton Oilers, puts in a claim for a guy he drafted.

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