With an open battle brewing amongst wingers for an NHL roster spot with the Philadelphia Flyers, don't discount Nikita Grebenkin.
The affable 22-year-old Russian isn't drawing as much hype as counterparts Alex Bump and Porter Martone these days, but Bump and Martone are benefitting from being the shiny new toys of the prospect pool.
Both players are attending and skating at development camp this week, Bump is about to turn pro, and Martone is the No. 6 overall pick in the most recent NHL draft with a skillset that arguably should have seen him get picked much higher.
There's room on the Flyers' roster for all three, of course, in the wake of the injury to Tyson Foerster, but Grebenkin is inherently the dark horse of the group... for now.
The former Toronto Maple Leafs prospect has the benefit of having already played seven NHL games in addition to 143 KHL games and 57 AHL games.
Maple Leafs Coach Heaps Big Praise Upon Rising Flyers ProspectToronto Maple Leafs head coach and former Philadelphia Flyers bench boss Craig Berube likes what he's seen from Nikita Grebenkin, one of his old players. And he knows there's room for plenty more as Grebenkin embarks on the next chapter of his NHL career with the Flyers.
Grebenkin also won the Gagarin Cup with Metallurg Magnitogorsk in 2023-2024 and won the Aleksei Cherepanov Award as the KHL's most outstanding rookie the season prior.
Plus, Grebenkin nearly debuted for the Flyers once already. Fans may recall that Grebenkin was re-called on an emergency basis on April 13, only to be re-assigned back to the AHL Lehigh Valley Phantoms roughly 30 minutes later.
He's hoping that the next time he sees the NHL, he actually plays for the Flyers and remains with them.
"When I was traded to the Flyers, I only saw [Aleksei Kolosov] there from the Russians. I just changed the environment, the atmosphere for myself. I couldn’t play in the NHL, according to the rules, because after the deadline, only five [sic] people from the AHL can play. And at the deadline, five people were already called up," Grebenkin told Nikita Plokhikh of Sovetsky Sport. "But it happens. I think this will benefit both me and the team in the future."
The four AHL call-ups that preceded Grebenkin's emergency call-up were Kolosov, ironically; Emil Andrae, Rodrigo Abols, and Olle Lycksell.
Andrae, Abols, and Lycksell were re-called the same day the Flyers acquired Grebenkin from the Maple Leafs, so he didn't have much of a claim to a roster spot at the time.
Nikita Grebenkin Continuing Torrid Start to Life in Flyers OrganizationThe Philadelphia Flyers knew Nikita Grebenkin was a stud prospect when they acquired him from the Toronto Maple Leafs, but were they expecting this?
The Kolosov one was a little more bizarre, but he did end up starting two games in the last week of the season, including the season finale loss to Buffalo.
In any event, after acclimating to the Flyers organization and familiarizing himself with some current and future teammates, Grebenkin knows what to expect going forward.
"My role in the team is the third or fourth line. I need to take my place in the lineup, work on it. I hope for more, of course," Grebenkin said. "but for now, this is my goal, what I'm striving for, to secure a place in the lineup and help the Flyers win every match."
At 6-foot-2, 210 pounds, and with his aggressive playing style, Grebenkin may have the edge over a player like Bump and the inexperienced Martone.
What comes next is squarely in his hands now.