Carolina Hurricanes general manager and team president Don Waddell told NHL Network that he expects forward Andrei Svechnikov to be ready for the start of the 2023-24 season.

"He's [five] months after surgery and he's skating by himself now without any contact or anything," Waddell said. "Six months will be right when training camp basically opens, so he's right on schedule, probably ahead of schedule.

"He wants to be playing today, but we'll be cautious obviously. October is important, but as the season goes on, it becomes even more important. I fully expect him to be ready when the season starts."

Svechnikov suffered an ACL tear following a routine check against Alex Pietrangelo of the Vegas Golden Knights on March 11.

He would go on to finish that game, but would miss the next one before the team finally announced that he would undergo knee surgery and miss the remainder of the season.

“Nothing serious happened to be honest," Svechnikov said in a media availability back in April. "I was pretty much just skating and my knee went inside a bit and that’s how it got injured. In 2020, during the bubble, I sprained my ankle and I tore my MCL, so I had a little bit of a tear on the ACL and so it was about the time.”

It has now been five months since the surgery and Svechnikov has already been cleared to start skating, hitting the ice for the first time July 14.

He's been ramping up his workouts and it's clear that he's doing all he can to be ready for opening night.

“It’s been very good," Svechnikov said of his knee rehab in his end-of-season interview. "Every day I’m working out. It’s getting better and better, getting stronger.

“My brother had the same [injury] a few years ago and so I’ve been getting more experience from that. I know what to do and what kind of exercises to do to get my leg better and stronger.”

According to Svechnikov, the doctors gave him a timeline of six to nine months for recovery, so that puts him currently right on the cusp of that window. 

And if he's ready to go come October, that will be a big boost for the Hurricanes.

Last season, Svechnikov put up 23 goals and 55 points in 64 games and probably could have helped to tip the scales in the ECF against the Florida Panthers - a series 

For the Hurricanes to reach their ultimate goal this season, they're going to need a healthy Svechnikov to bring that game-breaking talent every night.