MEDVEDEV TURNS 33, STANDS AS X-FACTOR ON PHILLY BLUELINE
Offseason free agent acquisition
Evgeni Medvedev celebrates his 33rd birthday today. Signed on May 20 to a one-year, $3 million contract, the Philadelphia Flyers will count on the veteran Russian defenseman to make a rapid and successful transition to the National Hockey League despite never having previously played the smaller-rink style of the North American game.
Medvedev had plenty of success overseas and internationally before signing with the Flyers. A three-time KHL All-Star and two time Gagarin Cup winner with Ak Bars Kazan, Medvedev also owns a pair of IIHF World Championship gold medals (2012, 2014) and dressed in five games for Team Russia at the 2014 Olympics in Sochi. Playing successfully in the NHL is a different animal for a number of reasons but there is no doubt that, strictly in terms of hockey talent, he is an NHL-caliber player.
With the offseason departure of
Nicklas Grossmann via trade to the Arizona Coyotes, a lineup spot is open for Medvedev. The 6-foot-3, 192-pound Russian is a much smoother puck mover than Grossmann but lacks the bear-like physical strength and sheer competitive grit that Grossmann brought to the team.
Why did the Flyers spend so much money to sign a now 33-year-old player with no NHL experience? Two reasons: 1) They had a lot of competition for Medvedev's services, 2) the short duration of the contract avoids a long-term commitment. It also leaves the door open either for Medvedev to be a stopgap signing while waiting on the development of prospects or, if he plays well next season, for the veteran either to stick around a year or two longer via contract extension or to be traded for a draft pick asset before the 2016 trade deadline.
One day after signing with the Flyers, Medvedev told the Russian media that he had received contract offers from five different NHL teams. Medvedev said he had initially hoped to get a two-year contract from the Flyers but realized it was to both sides' benefit if he signed for one year. If he does well, he can either seek an extension or shop his services again as an unrestricted free agent. If not, there's still a spot for him in the KHL.
Flyers general manager
Ron Hextall has said that he expects Medvedev to be a top-four defenseman for the team, although the final determination will be up to new coach
Dave Hakstol. While playing in the KHL and the World Championships, Medvedev was a minutes-eater who played in all game situation. Another appealing facet of signing Medvedev is that, although he is a lefthanded shot, he is equally comfortable playing either left defense or the right side. That creates more flexibility in potential pairings.
Currently,
Luke Schenn and
Radko Gudas are the only righthanded shooting defensemen in the Flyers crowded blueline picture. In a perfect scenario, the team would have three natural left-side and three natural right-side defensemen. Stylistically, however, it seems that a healthy lineup that routinely features Schenn and Gudas would not be a great on-paper fit with the system that Hakstol plans to implement.
Entering training camp, the slate wipes clean for Medvedev. Nothing he did in the KHL or for the national team matters anymore. However, keeping in mind that he will get a grace period to adjust to the NHL game and get situated off the ice, the player figures to have an inside track on a starting spot. Hakstol has pledged to avoid pre-judging any of his players but, realistically, it would take someone severely outplaying Medvedev in camp to knock him out of the opening night lineup.
When the Flyers drafted defenseman
Ivan Provorov with the seventh overall pick of the 2015 NHL Draft, some in the media speculated that the Flyers intend Medvedev to "mentor" his young countryman. While the two will no doubt spend considerable time together in camp -- players always appreciate having someone with whom they can speak their native language --Medvedev is not really in position to mentor anyone. He has to worry mostly about himself, learning to communicate with a variety of defense partners and the Flyers goaltenders as well as adjusting coverages to NHL attackers and working the breakout against a more aggressive style of forechecking.
Medvedev has had a few North American or non-Russian speaking European teammates in the past, but not many. It is unlikely that he currently speaks more than very limited English. The training camp presence of Americanized teenager Provorov -- who has lived and attended school in North America since he was 14 and speaks fluent English -- could be beneficial to Medvedev in the dressing room and in making some off-ice adjustments. Day-to-day things such as reading a menu or filling out necessary paperwork can be quite nerve-racking to players. The on-ice part usually gets figured out faster, at least at practice.
Keep in mind that there is a 15-year age gap between Medvedev and Provorov, so they might not be natural friends under other circumstances. They might not have the same taste in entertainment and their respective off-ice lives may be quite different. However, hockey has a way of forging some unlikely friendships.So does being overseas with a countryman.
The career and life paths of Ivan Provorov and Evgeni Medvedev may separate again in the near future. For right now, though, both men are in the same boat as they get ready to attend their first NHL training camp.
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TODAY IN FLYERS HISTORY FROM FlyersAlumni.org: AUGUST 27
1974: The Flyers sign rugged defenseman
Steve Short to a contract.
1980: The organization hires
Bob Boucher as an assistant coach under
Pat Quinn.
1989: The Flyers sign promising young Czech defenseman
Jiri Latal to a three-year contract.
2001: Acquired in the deal that sent
Eric Lindros to the New York Rangers,
Kim Johnsson inks a three-year contract with the Flyers. The deal prove to be a good one for the Flyers, as Johnsson went on to win the Barry Ashbee Trophy in two of the next three seasons. A skilled two-way defenseman, Johnsson averages 0.51 points per game during his Flyers career and is a combined plus-44 at even strength during his 291-game Philadelphia career while averaging more than 23 minutes of ice time per game. Unfortunately, concussion issues derail him in 2005-06 and continue to affect him the rest of his career after his departure via free agency in the summer of 2006.
Flyers Alumni Birthdays
Two Phantoms stint defenseman
Ryan Bast turns 40 today. Bast caused a brief sensation in the spring of 1998 when the Flyers signed him to an NHL contract under the noses of the Calgary Flames while he was a member of their AHL affiliate who played against the Phantoms in the Calder Cup Finals. He dressed in two NHL games (the only two of his pro career) for the Flyers in 1998-99. Bast later had a brief return stint with the Phantoms in 2002-03. Prolific Hall of Fame playmaking center
Adam Oates, an expensive rental at the 2002 trade deadline, turns 52.
Mark Botell, a defenseman who did well in midseason fill-in duty during the 1981-82 season, turns 54.
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