Flyers Must Replace Maxim Shabanov from Within
The Philadelphia Flyers may have lost out on Maxim Shabanov, but they have plenty of in-house replacements who are just as good, if not better options.
Shabanov, 23, is wildly skilled indeed, but he's also a 5-foot-8 forward who can play either center or inverted right wing.
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The problem is that Shabanov wasn't likely to play center for the Flyers, meaning that he would have been pigeonholed into the right winger position.
Many skilled Russians play and have played inverted in the past. Names like Alex Ovechkin, Ilya Kovalchuk, Nikita Kucherov, Matvei Michkov, might come to mind.
But is Shabanov that? Maybe, maybe not. But he certainly isn't proven, just like the Flyers' top options to replace him in a hypothetical lineup.
The Flyers love reigning NCAA champ Alex Bump, for example, and he's got quite the goal-scoring pedigree. It helps that he's a natural left wing to boot.
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Bump, 21, is perhaps the favorite to crack the Flyers' opening night roster, especially in the wake of the offseason injury to Tyson Foerster. Bump's unrelenting will to prove himself while doing things the right way has quickly endeared him to Flyers management and will do the same with fans in short order.
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Aside from Bump, another contender for a roster spot will be Nikita Grebenkin, acquired from the Toronto Maple Leafs in the Scott Laughton trade.
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The 22-year-old already has seven games of NHL experience and has dabbled in pro hockey since the 2021-22 season despite his relatively young age.
Between the KHL, AHL, and NHL, Grebenkin has already played 177 pro games, and that experience should serve him well as he competes with his fellow Flyers prospects.
Astute fans might recall that the Flyers actually brought Grebenkin up on an emergency basis once, only to send him back to the AHL 30 minutes later with the emergency conditions no longer present.
That's about as close to the NHL as someone can get without stepping on the ice.
Plus, the Flyers and Porter Martone himself have told us to never say never on the unusual but very plausible possibility that the teenaged draft pick makes the NHL come opening night.
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And, if worst comes to worst - and fans will hate this - the Flyers will decide these prospects are best suited playing significant minutes in the AHL or elsewhere to start the season, they have some capable veterans at their disposal, too.
Rodrigo Abols is capable of flexing out to the flank if needed, and last year's preseason darling, Anthony Richard, is still under contract for one more year.
It's possible the oft-injured Samu Tuomaala, who has played two full seasons with the AHL Lehigh Valley Phantoms, makes a case for an opportunity with his speed and heavy shot.
The Flyers will be disappointed not to have landed Shabanov, to be sure, but they have no reason to dwell on it or pivot to a Plan B.
This year should be about believing in and developing the guys they already have.
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