The Maxim Shabanov sweepstakes came to an end on Wednesday as the KHL star decided to sign with the New York Islanders. Talk about a team coming up with many great moves early in the offseason.
The process took a few months to come to an end, but it was Shabanov who was taking in time in deciding where he wanted to go. According to his agent, Shabanov wanted to learn everything about a team to determine what the right fit would be.
”He has his own checklist,” Alexander Chernykh told RG Media. “The most important thing was ice time—how much he’d play, who he’d play with. He went deep into the details. He asked about power-play systems, he talked to coaches, he wanted to understand everything. That’s why the negotiations took so long.”
And in the end, he felt the Islanders would be the best place. It likely helped that Chernykh also represents Maxim Tsyplakov, a restricted free agent with the Islanders. So there was already been a built in relationship with the team.
Other teams involved, aside from the Flyers, were Utah, Vegas, Boston, and the Rangers. So at least Philadelphia wasn’t the only runner up? But let’s take a look at the reasons above and try to see why Shabanov may have felt that the Flyers were not a good fit.
Ice time is a big factor for Russian players coming over from the KHL. If they don’t believe they aren’t getting the playing time they want or think they deserve, they aren’t afraid to jump back overseas. It’s why Russian teams typically hold onto the rights of players who leave for North America. This way they can easily bring them back.
Looking at the Flyers roster, there aren’t many spots available. Tyson Foerster’s injury does open up some space, but Philadelphia has numerous prospects ready to jump into his role. The additions of Trevor Zegras and Christian Dvorak took up other available spots.
Nic Deslauriers could continue to be someone who is in and out of the lineup. But there’s a good chance Shabanov would not want a bottom-six role. Considering ice time was a key factor for him, he’d want to be in the top-six. Unfortunately for the Flyers, they don’t have an available spot.
One of the other things Shabanov noted was the power play system. The Flyers have had a bottom-of-the-league power play in the last few years. They brought in a new coach to run the unit, but the damage there might’ve already been done.
Now, the Islanders were worse than the Flyers last season on the man advantage so that might not have been the biggest factor. There’s also a chance Shabanov and his agency weren’t a fan of Rick Tocchet as he had a previous history of trust issues with another Russian in Andrei Kuzmenko. That’s just speculation, though.
The Flyers were also a little late to the game in going after Shabanov. As of early February, they hadn’t spoken to his agency. So playing catch up may not have helped them either.
But this may be a blessing for the Flyers as this gives players like Alex Bump and Porter Martone a better chance at cracking the lineup. And there’s no guarantee Shabanov will succeed in the NHL either.
Credit to Briere for taking a shot, something he hasn’t been afraid to do. He’s building something in Philadelphia. Hopefully it’s a good story in a few years.
