A year after Matvei Michkov’s early arrival in Philadelphia, the stage seemed set for another smaller but highly skilled Russian winger to join him on Broad Street. But it was not to be, as free agent Maxim Shabanov instead signed a one-year deal with the New York Islanders on Wednesday evening.

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.

Just when it looked like the New York Islanders were closing out a quiet offseason, general manager (GM) Mathieu Darche made a big signing. The deal wasn’t big in terms of the money spent or even the length of the contract,