In this edition of our Philadelphia Flyers news and rumors report, we’ll take a look at a few things. First, what’s going on with 24-year-old Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) forward Maxim Shabanov? Next, what would defenseman Nicolas Hague and a handful of Vancouver Canucks free agents, who have been connected to the Flyers, bring to the team? Finally, let’s discuss the 2025 NHL Draft—quotes, speculation, and more.
Flyers Linked to Maxim Shabanov
According to a report from Sport-Express columnist Igor Eronko, Shabanov will join the Orange and Black for the 2025–26 season. However, some of the Flyers’ local reporters say it’s still a work in progress—nothing’s set in stone. It should be noted that something similar happened to Matvei Michkov before he left the KHL, but regardless, the situation is fluid.
For all you Flyers fans who want news on Shabanov…. What I can tell you is, whatever news is coming out of Russia is coming out of there.
I’ve spoken to people in the Flyers organization and they see the same thing everyone else does. But here’s the thing – they have not been…
— Anthony SanFilippo (@AntSanPhilly) June 6, 2025
Let’s operate under the assumption that Eronko’s report is accurate. Who is Shabanov, and what can he bring to the Flyers?
While he may be severely undersized at 5-foot-8 and 157 pounds, his production makes that negligible for the time being. Shabanov was third in KHL scoring for the 2024–25 regular season, recording 67 points (23 goals, 44 assists) in 65 games. With 10 goals and as many assists, he was second in playoff scoring, leading his team to the Gagarin Cup Final.
Shabanov’s production for a 24-year-old, just entering his prime, was very good. He was fourth all-time in regular-season scoring among his age group, and tied for third in playoff scoring. To give a specific and recent player comparison, it wasn’t until Andrei Kuzmenko‘s eighth season following his first year of draft eligibility that he put up a point-per-game KHL campaign (53 points in 45 games; 2021–22). Meanwhile, Shabanov is only six seasons removed from his first year of draft eligibility.
What makes Shabanov special is his blend of speed, intelligence, and skill. Consider his five-point playoff game on April 2, where all of those were on display. There’s some serious talent here.
So, what would Shabanov bring to the Flyers’ lineup? He’s listed as both a center and a winger, but even with his lack of size, his skills could allow him to play down the middle at the NHL level. Getting into what he can provide, he has middle-six upside at the very least. There’s a case to be made that most top-tier players in the KHL could play in an NHL bottom six (partially because they have)—Shabanov gets a slight boost due to his present gifts and future room for growth.
If the Flyers end up signing Shabanov, he’d be an exciting addition to the roster. His talent could complement a number of players on the team.
Flyers Connected to Hague and a Handful of Canucks
Here’s where head coach Rick Tocchet’s influence may come into play. Sportsnet insider Elliotte Friedman mentioned Hague, a defenseman for the Vegas Golden Knights, as a possible target for the Flyers. On the Halford & Brough podcast, The Athletic insider Rick Dhaliwal pondered whether several Canucks free agents may want to re-join Tocchet and assistant coach Jaroslav Svejkovsky, who was popular in Vancouver and is now a member of the Flyers. The names Dhaliwal listed were Brock Boeser, Noah Juulsen, and Pius Suter. The second report is more speculative, but let’s attack each of these players.
Hague is a restricted free agent this offseason, but given the Golden Knights’ stacked blue line, they can afford to part ways. The good is that he’s 6-foot-6 and 245 pounds. The bad is that he had some serious struggles this past season—ironic, since “big, but statistically inept” was the perfect description for Tocchet’s defense up north. At 5-on-5 action, Vegas had a minus-3 rating when Hague was on the ice and a plus-32 rating when he came off.
If you don’t care too much about the goal differentials, Hague would be a fine addition. He’d likely fill a bottom-pairing spot on the left side, perhaps bumping Egor Zamula down to a seventh defenseman role. It’d make the team deeper despite the numbers, but would the potential cost be worth it? That’s a question for the Flyers to answer.
While Juulsen is more or less average-sized at 6-foot-2 and 201 pounds, he throws his body around quite a lot. With 10.63 hits per 60 minutes of ice time, he ranked in the 97th percentile among defensemen with at least 250 minutes played this season. But the 28-year-old’s play at 5-on-5 was forgettable nonetheless—the Canucks had a 36.11% goal share when he was on the ice and a 49.82% goal share when he was off it. He’s more of an eighth defenseman in terms of impact, but that’s a sacrifice the Flyers may need to make for “toughness.”
Now, let’s get to the forwards, who both seem unlikely. Boeser is a 28-year-old right-winger who can score goals but will demand a hefty price tag (does he fit the team’s timeline?). As for Suter, he’s a two-way third-line center. That role is already filled by Noah Cates for the next four seasons, however, and the hope is that he could someday be replaced by Jett Luchanko. Still, Boeser and Suter had their best point-scoring seasons under Tocchet, so anything’s possible.
Perhaps it’s all just a ruse, and the Flyers aren’t after any of these players. At the same time, a selling point on Tocchet was his ability to bring in free agents—is this what was meant?
Talking 2025 NHL Draft
The 2025 NHL Draft is less than three weeks away. Players are now at the NHL Scouting Combine, where the events are taking place as of writing. Interestingly, the Flyers drafted the No. 1 prospect in grip-strength testing during each of Daniel Brière’s drafts as general manager: Matteo Mann (2023; 199th overall) and Luchanko (2024; 13th overall).
Related: THW’s 2025 NHL Draft Guide
Fun facts aside, it’s been revealed that the Flyers have dined with centers Jake O’Brien and Brady Martin, both top prospects out of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL). Those are two possible candidates with their sixth-overall pick.
Sticking with the sixth-overall pick theme, Kevin Kurz of The Athletic shared a quote from Flyers assistant general manager Brent Flahr regarding it earlier this week: “We obviously are aware (we need more center depth), but there’s also a couple other players that it’s going to make it hard. There’s a couple wingers, and even a defenseman that could be in the mix. You’ve got to be careful not to go by a top-line player, potentially, just for position. That’s the challenge we’ll face.”
The Flyers lack center depth in their system, but that doesn’t necessarily mean they’ll take a center with the No. 6 pick.
Brent Flahr: “We obviously are aware (they need more center depth), but there’s also a couple other players that it’s going to make it hard. There’s a…
— Kevin Kurz (@KKurzNHL) June 2, 2025
Here’s where some of that aforementioned speculation comes in. It’s likely that Flahr is referring to Porter Martone and Victor Eklund when he says that there are “a couple wingers” being considered. The defenseman could be a number of players, but is more or less limited to Jackson Smith, Radim Mrtka, and Kashawn Aitcheson (my guess is the first of the three).
With how gifted this year’s center class is, it may take a lot for the Flyers to pivot. He’s a winger, but Martone has superstar upside—that’s the only one of those five I can say that about in confidence, although I am a fan of both Eklund and Smith.
It’s totally reasonable for the Flyers to pass on a center if they believe in Martone, for example. I elaborated on that a bit in a recent Jason Robertson piece, but basically, enough dominant wings make a center’s job easier, thus making the position less of a necessity. Philadelphia could get away without a true “1C” and still win a Stanley Cup if they have the best winger core in the NHL.
Over the next month or so, all of these questions should have an answer. Will Shabanov be on the Flyers next season? Which players will they target in the offseason? Most importantly, who’s going off the board at sixth overall?
Stats courtesy of Natural Stat Trick
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