Reigniting reports from earlier in the year, the Philadelphia Flyers are once again said to be in on KHL star Maxim Shabanov, an undrafted free agent forward mulling an overseas leap to start his NHL career.
Anthony San Filippo of On Patinson reported Thursday that the Flyers are indeed pursuing Shabanov, citing league sources who believe that the Russian forward's decision will come down to Philadelphia, the Vegas Golden Knights, or, ultimately, staying with Traktor Chelyabinsk in pursuit of the elusive Gagarin Cup.
Additionally, San Filippo reported that a source in the Flyers' hockey ops feels the final outcome is "up to the player."
By now, the Flyers' growing Russian contingent has been well-documented. Last spring, the Flyers surprisingly added Ivan Fedotov after he terminated his contract with CSKA Moskva, and Belarusian goalkeeper Aleksei Kolosov returned from his loan to Dinamo Minsk.
That summer, Matvei Michkov made his highly anticipated move to the Flyers, joining Fedotov, Kolosov, defenseman Egor Zamula, and prospect Egor Zavragin in the organization. Then, a few months ago, the Flyers traded Scott Laughton to the Toronto Maple Leafs for Nikita Grebenkin and a 2027 first-round pick.
Oh, and the Flyers went out of their way to hire decorated KHL coach Oleg Znarok to help Michkov and Co.
Basically, in Philadelphia, Shabanov will have all the opportunity in the world to earn an NHL roster spot permanently, and he'll have plenty of countrymen around him in support, including a former Traktor U16 teammate in Zamula.
But Vegas, too, will represent a strong challenge to the Flyers for his services.
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Shabanov played with sharpshooter Pavel Dorofeyev for parts of three seasons, including in the MHL, and Ilya Samsonov and Ivan Barbashev help comprise a Golden Knights team that is objectively way better than the Flyers are.
They also have prospects like Pavel Moysevich, a Belarusian goalie, and Ivan Morozov coming through.
In addition to Vegas, the Flyers may have to ward off a Metropolitan Division rival in the Pittsburgh Penguins to secure Shabanov's signature.
According to RG, "NHL scouts, particularly from the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Vegas Golden Knights, have closely monitored him."
“Maybe I'll think about it, maybe not. I've said before that all my thoughts were focused on having a successful season with Traktor. I don’t read what people write about me or listen to what they say,” Shabanov was quoted as saying about his NHL future by RG.
The Flyers should have plenty of appeal for Shabanov, especially as it relates to opportunity on the ice. The 24-year-old forward only needs to look as far back as Vadim Shipachyov's tenure in Vegas to see what could happen if he doesn't emerge as a stud immediately.
Shabanov's size, standing at just 5-foot-8, could eventually emerge as a concern, but his talent is evident. He's creative, skilled, adventurous, and knows where the good ice is.
As far as the Flyers are concerned, that's a worthy gamble. Now, we wait on a final decision.
