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KHL Sensation Scouted by Penguins and Golden Knights Finally Breaks his Silence
The Pittsburgh Penguins and Golden Knights have been listed as two teams potentially interested in bringing aboard Maxim Shabanov, who has starred in Russia as part of the KHL.
The Pittsburgh Penguins have missed the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the last 3 years, the longest drought of captain and future Hall of Famer Sidney Crosby's career.
General manager Kyle Dubas will be under pressure to not only remedy that situation, but also to try and make the most of whatever time is left in the career of Crosby, as well as fellow franchise icons Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang.
While Dubas is still conducting the search for the Penguins' next head coach after he dismissed Mike Sullivan, there are reports that they could be interested in delving into the KHL for their next big acquisition.
Per RG, the Penguins and Golden Knights are likely to show interest in Shabanov, who has drawn comparisons to a certain Russian star on the Tampa Bay Lightning.
As an unrestricted free agent, Shabanov needs to carefully choose his NHL club to fulfill his potential. Vegas seems closest, but securing a top-six spot there would be extremely challenging. Pittsburgh appears a more suitable destination, potentially allowing Shabanov to develop into a new Nikita Kucherov.
Before playing in the Gagarin Cup Final, Shabanov said that he'd be open to other offers.
Maybe I'll think about it, maybe not. I've said before that all my thoughts were focused on having a successful season with Traktor. I don't read what people write about me or listen to what they say.
He's also a finalist to be named the Most Valuable Player in the KHL.
| POLL | ||
MAI 26 | 121 ANSWERS KHL Sensation Scouted by Penguins and Golden Knights Finally Breaks his Silence Should the Penguins try and sign Maxim Shabanov? | ||
| Yes | 105 | 86.8 % |
| No | 16 | 13.2 % |
| List of polls | ||