With the additions of Matvei Michkov and Egor Zavragin in the 2023 NHL Draft, the Philadelphia Flyers have done an excellent job of adding top Russian talent to their ranks. But, can they manage to do the same in 2025?
Bog-standard performances and a lack of improvement have cast doubt over the futures of fellow Russian Flyers Egor Zamula and Ivan Fedotov, who will each be out of contract at the end of the 2025-26 season.
Those two, who have been a great help for the younger and less experienced Michkov, might not be around forever. It’s unclear when former Toronto Maple Leafs prospect Nikita Grebenkin will crack the NHL lineup for the Flyers and what his ceiling is if and when he does.
With seven picks in the first two rounds of the 2025 draft, the Flyers have all the opportunities possible to find players who can socialize with Michkov and, most importantly, add the talent necessary to build the best team possible.
Ivan Ryabkin, C, Muskegon Lumberjacks (USHL) 5-foot-11, 210 pounds
Teased in my latest big board, I think Ivan Ryabkin would be a great fit for the Flyers with his agitating, physical nature alongside Grebenkin and Michkov. Could you imagine the talent and irritation coming from that line?
The problem with Ryabkin, though, is that recent reports from the NHL Scouting Combine have indicated that the 18-year-old did not test well or interview well, meaning teams like the Flyers are going to have to spend a good portion of the development process working through immaturity and teaching him how to be a pro.
If conditioning is a real concern, that might explain why some scouting reports mention Ryabkin “gliding” during plays.
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At the same time, Ryabkin entered the season looking like a surefire top 10 talent. He can hit, shoot, and create. After leaving Russia, Ryabkin finished the season with the Muskegon Lumberjacks, scoring 26 goals, 20 assists, and 46 points in 41 total games while winning the Clark Cup.
Ryabkin is exactly the kind of risk the Flyers should be taking with a late first-round pick or one of their four early second-round picks. Ivan Barbashev, a two-time Stanley Cup champion, is a name that comes to mind for me.
Alex Zharovsky, Inverted RW, Salavat Yulaev Ufa (KHL) 6-foot-1, 163 pounds
Do the Flyers need more right wings? No, not really, but they could use some talented left-shot forwards outside of Michkov, who, like Alex Zharovsky, is a left-handed right wing.
The 18-year-old Zharovsky is a supremely talented forward who plays with guile, creativity, and flair. He’ll break ankles and crate scoring chances for his teammates with his passing all the same, but his NHL projection can be tough to predict because of that.
Zharovsky played all of his regular season action with Tolpar Ufa in the MHL, which is a step down from Salavat Yulaev Ufa in the KHL, with whom he finished the 2024-25 season.
In the NHL, defenders are bigger, stronger, and faster and will close down the spaces Zharovsky exploits with haste. If he can make the changes and avoid doing too much too often, Zharovsky has all the tools to justify a Day 2 draft pick.
Ilya Pautov, the Flyers’ sixth-round pick a year ago, had a similar draft year in the MHL and has yet to build on it. Zharovsky should be on Philadelphia’s radar, but they may want to be careful of drafting him too early. The industry consensus currently sees the silky winger as mid-second-round pick.
Kurban Limatov, LHD, Dynamo Moskva (KHL) 6-foot-4, 190 pounds
Kurban Limatov, like Ryabkin, was featured in our early big board, and for good reason.
Limatov is an excellent skater for his size and could forge a career as a top-four NHL defenseman with improvements to his passing and decision-making with the puck. But without that?
He’s still a strong, physical defender with the closing speed that allows him to kill plays quickly.
The Flyers have virtually no projectable left-shot defenders in their prospect pool at this time, so Limatov should be a candidate to be selected with a late first- or early second-round pick.
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Although Brad Shaw has left for New Jersey, the Flyers have done a decent job of developing defensemen in recent years. They could do worse with a spare draft pick than taking a shot on Limatov… as long as someone else doesn’t beat them to the punch.
Pyotr Andreyanov, G, Krasnaya Armiya Moskva (MHL) 6-foot-2, 210 pounds
The Flyers are more than likely going to draft a goalie – maybe more than one – in the 2025 draft. Why not get Pyotr Andreyanov, the highest-ranked European goalie by NHL Central Scouting in this year’s draft class?
Andreyanov, similarly to Zavragin, has been virtually unbeatable in the MHL in his draft year this season. The 18-year-old posted a 23-6-6 record for Krasnaya Armiya Moskva to the tune of a 1.75 GAA, a .942 save percentage, and three shutouts.
Somehow, in six postseason games, Andreyanov’s superhuman efforts weren’t enough; he stumbled to a 2-4-0 record and first-round exit despite having a 2.36 GAA, a .929 save percentage, and a shutout during that span.
Andreyanov notably plays for the same MHL team as Ilya Pautov, the Flyers’ sixth-round pick from a year ago. If the Flyers have been keeping up with Pautov at all, they should have all the information they need to justify picking Andreyanov early in the 2025 draft.
Semyon Frolov, G, MHK Spartak Moskva (MHL) 6-foot-3, 200 pounds
Semyon Frolov, coming in just behind Andreyanov, is the second-highest ranked European goalie in the 2025 draft class by NHL Central Scouting.
The 18-year-old played most of his hockey for MHK Spartak Moskva this season, for whom he posted a 9-2-2 record, a 2.05 GAA, and a .915 save percentage with two shutouts.
Frolov’s numbers weren’t as impressive as Andreyanov’s, and he played in only 18 regular season games and 25 games in total this season.
Still, the Togliatti product is a superb athlete who plays with poise and discipline, which are hallmarks of any successful goaltender at any level.
Assuming the Flyers watched Andreyanov and Pautov, they’ve probably seen some of Frolov, too. Frolov is more likely to be a third- or fourth-round player, but he would be a welcomed addition to the Flyers’ goaltending depth all the same.
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