The Philadelphia Flyers have been linked to Russian forward and KHL star 25-year-old Maxim Shabanov for much of the 2025 calendar year. But as the NHL offseason festivities finally draw near and Shabanov has secured an agent in North America, it sure seems like we’re getting closer to a decision, and the Flyers are reportedly still in the mix.
So should they be going out of their way to sign the 5’8″ forward who was third in the scoring race in the KHL during the 2024-25 season? Let’s weigh some pros and cons and find out!
Pros
Offensive upside
The Flyers really aren’t in a position to turn down anything that could be perceived as an upgrade, particularly when it comes to scoring. So even in the chance that this guy ain’t it, adding one of the top scorers in the KHL is at least a swing from the front office when they typically go down looking.
It’s a move!
While signing Shabanov may not be the answer to the prayers, the Flyers doing *literally anything* during an offseason is a baby step in the right direction. It’s something. It’s unfortunate that this is where the bar is at these days, but signing Shabanov would be the most adventurous thing Briere has done thus far in three offseasons as GM.
Michkov’s BFF
Obviously, the Russian ties with someone like Matvei Michkov are more than likely the driving factor for this signing in the first place. It’s also the likely reason they added Nikita Grebenkin back at the trade deadline as well. If three-quarters of the team is going to be Russian within the next few seasons, adding the best players in the KHL is a sound place to start. And hey, if Michkov is showing that kind of influence on Russian players to sign in Philly when they could go literally anywhere else they shouldn’t take that for granted by overlooking Shabanov.
Cons
History ain’t on their side
Historically, the Flyers tend to not handle these Russian one-offs very well (we’re looking at you, Roman Lyubimov and Evgeny Medvedev). They also don’t tend to integrate their own prospects into the NHL very well (literally pretty much every pick in the last decade). So the idea that they snag Shabanov and give him a fighting chance to succeed in the NHL definitely needs to be seen to be believed.
His size
A players’ size should not be a huge factor in the modern day NHL. It’s not the 90’s anymore, not everyone needs to by 6’5″ and 250lbs. But all indications have been that the Flyers think they’re too small and will look to bulk up. That isn’t great news for Shabanov, who is the size of your average sixth grader at 5’8″ and 156 lbs. Even if he signs, does he get used in a meaningful way?
Taking away a roster spot
Is giving Shabanov a main roster NHL spot really a better investment than properly filling one of their holes? Or even just giving that open forward spot to Alex Bump or Nikita Grebenkin?
They’ve got 19 of 23 roster spots already filled, 20 of you count Cam York, and more than enough prospects to fill in the holes.
“But they could make a trade to open a spot” you yell at the screen. They could… but it’s the Flyers. They won’t. Change is not a guarantee and it certainly won’t be abundant.
Conclusion
At the end of the day, they should sign Shabanov if the opportunity does indeed present itself. Whether or not the Flyers spin Shabanov as their big fish of the summer will go a long way as to determine if move will be a huge success or failure.
If the Flyers sign him, tout it as some big brain, world-beating addition and call it a summer and he doesn’t work out and the team is still a mess, Briere’s judgment day is going to draw near. Though if Shabanov is just one move in a flurry of offseason change, it’ll be a much easier pill to stomach.
The problem is believing the Flyers have a “flurry of offseason change” up their sleeve in the first place.
Size really shouldn’t be a disqualification, even though he is comically small. Smaller than someone like Marco Rossi who the Flyers turned their noses up at acquiring for that very reason. He’s smaller than Bobby Brink, he’s smaller than Denver Barkey or Samu Tuomaala. It’s wild that the Flyers are even rumored to be in on this guy given the modus operandi of giant meatheads the organization is rumored to to be working with moving forward.
Shabanov also doesn’t directly address any holes on the main roster. They really don’t need another middle six winger. He won’t be playing center at his size in the NHL, and unless he wants to start a new career as a goaltender, he isn’t checking any major hole for the Flyers. Maybe he can help out the power play, which isn’t nothing, but is it enough? Proven star-caliber players should be atop the wish list for the Flyers, not another random winger who may or may not have success.
The theory is that “well hey, they’re not spending any real money on the guy, so who cares?” And that’s definitely a positive for an organization that hands out max-term, big-money contracts like candy on halloween. But is it smarter to add an expensive outside top six forward, or just hope and pray that signing Shabanov is good enough? Are the Flyers really in a spot to bet on the latter?
The biggest question is if you’re looking to gamble on a cheap young guy with no previous experience, why not just turn to one of their own prospects? The idea that Shabanov cuts to the front of the line when guys like Alex Bump are right there is kinda nuts when they’re more or less on the same ground.
It sure sounds like the Flyers are going to be the winners of the Shabanov sweepstakes. And that’s great! But given the signing is anything but a sure thing, it can’t be the lone notable move of the Flyers’ offseason. This guy alone probably isn’t the savior they’re in need of. All we can do now is wait and see whether or not the Flyers take the rest of the offseason seriously or not… and take Shabanov’s integration into the NHL seriously or not.
Consider us skeptical on both counts in the meantime until proven otherwise.
By: Dan Esche (@DanTheFlyeraFan)
Photo credit: Chelyabinsk Traktor Hockey Club
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