Flyers’ General Manager Danny Briere wheeled and dealt on trade deadline day. He was able to obtain a 21-year-old player in Nikita Grebenkin. Grebenkin is a native of Russia, and he made his Lehigh Valley Phantoms debut yesterday.
Grebenkin was all over the ice, and he board battled very well. He did pot his first goal in a Phantoms uniform, on Power Play nonetheless. The big club is struggling with the man advantage, could a recall be in the cards shortly? I wouldn’t put it past them, as the Flyers have one recall left for the last 14 games of the season.
A young 21-year-old in Grebenkin completed his 2023-24 KHL regular season with a career high 19 goals and 41 points with Metallurg Magnitogorsk. That placed him on the map, to which he played with the Toronto Marlies for the most part this season, while netting nine goals and 12 assists (21 Points) in 39 games played. Grebenkin also played with the Maple Leafs, but unfortunately never registered his first point in the NHL in seven games played.
Grebenkin stands at 6’2, while weighing 192-pounds. He’s a Left Winger that can play the right side too. Grebenkin is a strong playmaker, that sees the ice well. He is good in transition, with finding his teammates on the rush. Grebenkin isn’t the fastest skater, but it’s not bad either. He maintains a good net front presence, and really shines on that area. He loves creating mayhem in front of the net, and would fit in well on Matvei Michkov’s line.
Another area of Grebenkin’s game that is strong is puck possession. He loves having the puck. Grebenkin is creative and possesses great offensive instincts. Again, he would fit in well with Michkov as his linemate. Michkov would benefit from his skill, and this duo could really wreak havoc in the NHL. Grebenkin board battles well, and cycles the puck well. I’m really surprised the Leafs gave up on him.
“He was definitely a target for us,” Flyers’ General Manager Danny Briere says. “I don’t know how soon he’s going to play (In the NHL), but we see him as a future Flyer.”
“He was definitely a target for us,” – Flyers’ General Manager Danny Briere
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The Flyers targeted Grebenkin for a reason. As Briere states above, Grebenkin is part of the solution moving forward. One should also know he’s friends with Matvei Michkov. It appears the Flyers/Phantoms are getting a good one in Grebenkin.
According to the Phantom’s website (and Pick Pedia), Grebenkin played 39 games with the Marlies, not 31 (they both agree that he totaled 21 points in those games). Here’s a link to his page on the Phantom’s site:
https://theahl.com/stats/player/10428/86/nikita-grebenkin
Puck Pedia
Definitely a mishap. Thanks for reading
I have a good thought
Grebenkin, Kuzmenko (FA sign), Shabonov (FA sign) and Mickov for 25-26!
Not a bad idea. Thanks for the read
Sure Jamey
Excellent and thorough article
All Grebs needs is a summer to practice with Michkov. With over a dozen Flyers games to go, Grebs should stay in Lehigh Valley and keep jacking up his game. These two might be a force to be reckoned with come next season, so keep the experts guessing into what this tandem can eventually produce as teammates.