Flyers Add Mobile Russian Dman

For the second time this week, I’ve had to do some serious googling to figure out who the Flyers just added.   While the Flyers were previously rumored to be interested in a young Russian defensemen (Nikita Zaitsev), they went ahead and signed a veteran to 1 year, $3 million deal.

Yevgeni Medvedev is 32 year old, 6’3” defensemen.  Eliteprospects.com says: "[he's] a large, yet very mobile and smooth skating defensemen...he sees the ice well and has good hockey sense...he can pass really well but also possesses a good shot...could play a more physical and aggressive game given his size."  Maybe the Flyers could use him a shootout too!

A large, yet very mobile and smooth skating defenseman. Medvedev sees the ice well and has good hockey sense. He can pass really well, but also possesses a hard shot.

Could play a more physical and aggressive game given his size. - See more at: http://www.eliteprospects.com/player.php?player=16728#sthash.doOY8WLJ.dpuf

He's been a regular at AK Bars Kazan the last 8 years.  He’s won two championships there, and has been a KHL all-star selection the last 3 years.  He’s also been a regular on the Russian national team, winning medals on their last few World Championship teams, as well as playing in Sochi.  On the Sochi squad, Medvedev was their #3 defensemen in terms of ice time, behind Andrei Markov and just barely behind Slava Voynov, but ahead of NHL regulars Fedor Tyutin and Nikita Nikitin.

It appears that he is a well-regarded, mobile defensemen.  The big question for him will be adjusting to the smaller NHL rink and the more physical game, as he spent his whole career in Russia.  If he can do that, he will likely be a top-4 defensemen next season.

This leaves the Flyers with more defensemen than they need.  Presuming they re-sign Del Zotto, they’ll have 9 defensemen.
-Del Zotto
-Streit
-MacDonald
-Schenn
-Schultz
-Grossmann
-Manning
-Medvedev
-Gudas

This list doesn’t even include all their young defensemen such as Gostisbehere, Morin, Hagg or Sanheim.  For the moment, I’d have to presume that Ghost, Morin and Hagg will all be in the AHL next season as they all have something to gain by more time there, and the Flyers have no room for them.  Sanheim had a fantastic season last year, so I’m not sure he has much to gain from another year in junior (and by rule he can’t play in the AHL), but Hextall doesn’t seem inclined to rush any 19-year-olds.

So what to do with all these defensemen?  The Flyers will almost certainly trade at least one.  That should be either Schenn or Grossmann.  The Flyers have no need for two big, slow, stay at home defensemen.  I’m just not sure which one.  Schenn is younger but less reliable, and both players will be free agents after this season.  Schenn is also one of the only right hand shots on defense.

If the Flyers send Manning back down and ship out Schenn/Grossmann, they're left with a 7-deep corps with which they can enter the season.  If however, they still are interested in Zaitsev, or want Manning to stick, they’ll be back up to an unwieldy 8.  In such case, there is no obvious answer as to what the right move would be to ship someone else out.