Rumors floated around the internet last night and were confirmed this afternoon by Dimitri Chesnokov of Puck Daddy that the Philadelphia Flyers were in close talks Рalong with four other teams Рto sign free agent right winger Nikolai Zherdev. Zherdev played three seasons with the Columbus Blue Jackets and one season with the New York Rangers before failing to come to a contract agreement with New York and heading to the KHL for a year. Zherdev had more than 50 points in three of his four seasons and rejected the $3.2 million that the Rangers had offered. An arbitrator set Zherdev’s worth at $3.9 million, which is likely the ballpark salary that the winger will be looking for from the Flyers.
From a depth perspective, this signing would benefit the Flyers, as they are currently without a top six right winger. Unfortunately, there are serious downsides to Zherdev. His signing would guarantee that Jeff Carter or Simon Gagne would be moved to fit his salary, creating scoring gaps elsewhere in the lineup. His attitude has been questioned during his entire career.  TSN reports from 2007 paint a wary picture of the Ukrainian winger:
“Zherdev, 23, has elite talent, but the knock on him is his apparent lack of interest in playing for the Jackets. In preseason games he seldom carries the puck and doesn’t appear willing to use his offensive skills‚Ķ Zherdev was a whipping boy for former GM Doug MacLean, who branded him selfish, one-dimensional and not a good teammate.”
Flyers fans are much more likely to approve of character and hard work than goal tallies. Ask anyone whether they’d rather see Carter or Ian Laperriere traded. If Zherdev signs with the Flyers and does not improve his work ethic while Gagne ships elsewhere, management is going to have to swing some heavy public relations to clear up the mess.
