Former First-Round Pick Signs Massive Contract Overseas: Likely Never Coming Back to the NHL

Back in 2015, the Detroit Red Wings used the No. 19 overall pick to land Russian winger Evgeny Svechnikov, and early in his career, it appeared to be a fantastic pick for the organization.

Unfortunately though, when he took the leap to the NHL, he struggled to catch on in four seasons with Detroit, ultimately ending his NHL career by playing a single season each with the Winnipeg Jets and San Jose Sharks, the latest season coming back in 2022/23.

Since then, he's taken the leap back to the KHL, posting a career high of 24 points this past season with Nizhny Norvgod Torpedo, and now, he's signed a big deal with Amur Khabarovsk, keeping him in the KHL, and likely not to see him return to the NHL at any point soon.

Even at 28-years of age, this likely signals the end of the NHL career of Svechnikov, who would end up playing 172 games at the top level, with the talented winger managing just 20 goals and 45 points in that time.

Ultimately, this is a player that's full of natural talent, but for whatever reason, he's just failed to stick at the highest level in the National Hockey League, and while he hasn't lit the world alight in the KHL, it's likely that given the opportunities he's getting there, we aren't likely to see him leave that situation anytime soon, even if he is on his third team in three years.