Top Goalscoring KHL Forward Drawing NHL Interest from Penguins and Golden Knights

In recent years, we've seen the likes of Matvei Michkov and Ivan Demidov make the jump from the KHL to the NHL, and now, it's potentially time for undrafted 24-year old Maxim Shabanov to do the same.

While he's just 5-foot-8, Shabanov has excelled in recent years, tallying a combined 48 goals and 117 points in 129 games over the last two seasons, and unsurprisingly, he's drawing plenty of attention in North American.

According to a report from RG Media, the two finalists for Shabanov have been revealed as the Vegas Golden Knights and Pittsburgh Penguins, with both teams looking for a young forward that could spark their lineups moving forward.

Shabanov may not come with the reputation of Michkov or Demidov as top draft picks in their class, he has proven in the worlds second best league for Chelyabinsk Traktor that he can be a potential star, with his 67 points in 2024/25 ranking him third in the KHL in total scoring.

Given his size, it's easy to see why many NHL teams have reservations over signing the talented 24-year old, but with the overwhelming talent, there's a team out there that needs to take a chance on him.

With Rutger McGroarty and Ville Koivunen taking the jump to the NHL a season ago in Pittsburgh, adding Shabanov could be another great move to improve their young core, and with Russian star Evgeni Malkin there to mentor him, this would be a great risk to take for Pittsburgh this off-season.