Golden Knights, Penguins Expressing Interest in Russian Star

With the offseason well underway for numerous teams around the NHL, a lot of attention is being put toward KHL stars who might be interested in a move to North America. One forward in particular has caught the attention of the Vegas Golden Knights and Pittsburgh Penguins.

According to RG, scouts from the Golden Knights and Penguins were in Russian keeping a close eye on 24-year-old forward Maxim Shabanov. In 65 games with Chelyabinsk Traktor this season, Shabanov scored 23 goals and 44 assists for a team-leading 67 total points.

Shabanov kept up his pace in the KHL Playoffs, as well, scoring 20 points (10G-10A) in 21 games. Shabanov led Traktor to a Gagarin Cup Final but suffered a tough defeat to Lokomotiv Yaroslavl.

RG notes that the Golden Knights are likely the team with the most interest, with scouts at nearly every one of Shabanov’s games down the stretch.

While an offer may soon be coming for the KHL star, Shabanov recently remained non-committal regarding his future.

“Maybe I'll think about it, maybe not,” Shabanov said before the Gagarin Cup Final. “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.”

RG believes Shabanov has the potential to be comparable to Nikita Kucherov, and named Pittsburgh as the better destination to reach that sort of bar.

Over the course of four seasons in the KHL, Shabanov has played 207 games with 67 goals and 83 assists for 150 total points.

Shabanov has top-six potential if he decides to make the trek to the NHL. There might be a bit of a log jam if he decides on Vegas; while he might slide right next to Evgeni Malkin if Pittsburgh wins the sweepstakes.