Eastern Conference Team Linked to the Potential Next Artemi Panarin Free Agent
Maxim Shabanov is expected to be the next big Russian free agent to make the jump to the NHL, and now the Flyers are firming as favourites to land him as the 5-foot-8 forward continues to develop and impress against elite level talent in Russia.
The NHL has an amazing crop of young stars flourishing, with the future of the league in good hands, and now, we may have the next young star on his way to the NHL from Russia.
According to reports, 24-year old Maxim Shabanov is headed to the NHL next season after his deal with Chelyabinsk Traktor in the KHL runs out at the end of the 2024/25 season.
Now, the market for him is already appearing, as reports have stated that the Philadelphia Flyers, who already have several Russians in Matvei Michkov, Andrei Kuzmenko, Egor Zamula and Ivan Fedetov are firming as the favourites to land him in the summer.
The 24-year old has taken his game to another level in the KHL over the past two seasons, as he has already passed his career high from 2023/24 with 51 points this year after putting up 50 in 64 games a season ago.
Standing at 5-foot-8, there's certainly question marks over his potential in the NHL, but he's clearly shown the ability to compete against elite level talent, and with jaw dropping moves like this one, there should be plenty of excitement for him in North America.
Only time will tell whether or not John Tortorella would want another undersized, skilled Russian on his team given his issues with Michkov in his rookie campaign, but if the Flyers could land Shabanov, it's safe to say that they'd be very exciting a year from now.
| G | A | PTS | ||
| Brady Skjei | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Rasmus Dahlin | - | 2 | 2 | |
| Oskar Back | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Luke Evangelista | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Jirí Kulich | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Ryan McLeod | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Thomas Novak | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Jason Zucker | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Justin Barron | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Colin Blackwell | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Michael McCarron | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Ryan O'Reilly | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Owen Power | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Jack Quinn | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Colton Sissons | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Fyodor Svechkov | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Alex Tuch | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Justus Annunen | - | - | - | |
| Jamie Benn | - | - | - | |
| Zach Benson | - | - | - | |
| Complete stats | ||||
| STANDINGS 2024-2025 | ||||||
TOP 10 | GP | W | L | OL | PTS | |
Jets | 53 | 36 | 14 | 3 | 75 | |
Capitals | 51 | 34 | 11 | 6 | 74 | |
Oilers | 51 | 32 | 15 | 4 | 68 | |
Hurricanes | 52 | 32 | 16 | 4 | 68 | |
Golden Knights | 52 | 31 | 15 | 6 | 68 | |
Wild | 52 | 31 | 17 | 4 | 66 | |
Stars | 50 | 32 | 17 | 1 | 65 | |
Devils | 53 | 29 | 18 | 6 | 64 | |
Panthers | 52 | 30 | 19 | 3 | 63 | |
Maple Leafs | 51 | 30 | 19 | 2 | 62 | |
| Conference | Cumulative | ||||||