Andrei Svechnikov lays out team goals after signing massive extension

It's official. 

The Carolina Hurricanes announced earlier today that forward Andrei Svechnikov has been re-signed to a hefty eight-year contract extension that will keep him a 'Cane until 2029. And he's gone into the team record books in doing so, as his new deal is the richest in Hurricanes team history. The deal beats out those of the Staal brothers, as Jordan's deal saw him set to earn $60 million over 10 years, while Eric's was $57.75 million over seven years.

“I’ve been loving this place for years and now I’ll be here eight more,” Svechnikov said in a presser Thursday after the deal was announced. “It’s a special place. We have a great team, great coaches and all the guys make this locker room special. You come here and you just want to have fun. That’s all we try to do. Have fun and win every game.”

And according to the man himself, he was aiming for a long-term deal and didn't want anything to do with a bridge-style contract. 

“I wanted eight years to play in Carolina,” Svechnikov said about what contract negotiations were like. “The Canes and me both wanted it so it was an easy decision. I want to be a Hurricane. We have a great team and great coaches and we just have to win the Stanley Cups.”

Svechnikov explained that a big factor in his decision to re-up with the Hurricanes was head coach Rod Brind'Amour, whom he enjoys playing for. 

"He's a great coach and a great guy," Svechnikov said.  "He actually just messaged me 30 minutes ago to say congrats. I'm very happy with him working with him - I've spent every minutes with him on the ice, and hopefully we can make it happen with a few Stanley Cups."

So far in his young career, Svechnikov has tallied 59 goals and 140 points in 205 regular season games with nine goals and 20 points in 26 playoff games. Prior to his arrival in the NHL, he earned the 2017-18 CHL Top Prospect Award and was named OHL Rookie of the Year.

He's coming off of his three-year entry level contract that saw him earn an annual salary of $925,000.