The Flyers will sign a KHL Star by July 1st. Just who is Maxim Shabanov? ► FLYERS NITTY GRITTY

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As I reported two weeks ago, a 24-year-old KHL star in Maxim Shabanov Will sign with the Flyers. Shabanov’s major hurdle was to obtain an American agency, to facilitate his deal (Contract).

Flyers’ General Manager Danny Briere will close a deal with Russian Star Maxim Shabanov, as Shabanov will sign with the Flyers

Shabanov, who scored 23 goals and 67 points in 65 games for Traktor Chelyabinsk in the 2024-25 season, has chosen Quartexx Hockey as his North American representation, allowing negotiations to take place.

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Although, the parameters of the deal won’t be finalized until July 1st (Hockey News Hub says July 1, which is the opening day of free agency). The Flyers are indeed getting a good player, so just who is Shabanov?

Maxim Shabanov (born October 7, 2000, Chelyabinsk, Russia):

Shabanov is known for his exceptional speed, creativity, and offensive prowess, despite his smaller stature at 5’8″ and approximately 157–170 pounds.

Career Highlights:
- In the 2024–25 KHL season, he scored 23 goals and 67 points (44 assists) in 65 regular-season games, ranking third in KHL scoring and second in assists. In the playoffs, he added 10 goals and 20 points in 21 games, though Traktor lost in the Gagarin Cup Final.
- Named to the KHL All-Star Game in 2023 and 2025 and was a finalist for the KHL’s MVP award (“The Golden Stick”) in 2024–25.
- Began his career in Chelyabinsk, playing junior hockey in the MHL with Belye Medvedi (2018) and professionally in the VHL with Chelmet Chelyabinsk (2019), before debuting in the KHL with Traktor in 2021.
- His agility, elite skating, and hockey IQ draw comparisons to NHL players like Kirill Kaprizov or Artemi Panarin, though his size raises concerns about his NHL transition.

Shabanov’s most notable comparison is Artemi Panarin. Panarin’s creativity, puck control, and playmaking align with Shabanov’s style. Both are undersized Russian forwards, who rely on agility and IQ to outmaneuver defenders. Shabanov’s 44 assists in 2024-25 highlight his Panarin-like setup ability. Let’s see what this Winger/Center can do at the NHL level with the orange and black.