Svechnikov, 21, scored 15 goals and added 27 assists (42 points) in 55 regular-season games during his third NHL season in 2020-21. The Barnaul, Russia, native ranked fifth on the team in goals, tied for third in assists, tied for third in points and second in hits (114) for the season. He added eight points (2g, 6a) in 11 Stanley Cup playoff games as the Hurricanes defeated the Nashville Predators in the first round before falling to the eventual Stanley Cup Champion Tampa Bay Lightning.

Selected by the Hurricanes in the first round, second overall, at the 2018 NHL Draft, Svechnikov has totaled 59 goals and 81 assists (140 points) in 205 career regular-season games and has scored more goals for the franchise than any other Russian-born player in team history. He recorded career highs in goals (24), assists (37) and points (61) in 68 games during the 2019-20 season, and has helped the Hurricanes reach the playoffs in each of his three NHL campaigns.