The Flyers added one Nikolai Zherdev to their roster this offseason. This signing, much like last summer’s signing of Ray Emery, has been a hot-button topic.

Zherdev spent last year in the KHL after the New York Rangers walked away when an arbitrator ruled that Zherdev should receive $3.9 million for the 2010 season. Prior to the arbitrator’s decision, the Rangers had offered Zherdev $3.25 million. Zherdev was seeking $4.5 million.

There are a lot of questions surrounding Nikolai Zherdev.

Is he a great player? Does he care about team over self? Is he a good fit in the dressing room? Is he a coach’s nightmare? What is going on in his head?

What follows is by no means the definitive story, but a brief time line of the playing career of Nikolai Zherdev.

 

Draft

The predraft scouting report had the 6’2" Zherdev listed as the most imposing offensive threat coming out of Russia for his draft class.

Some of the other assets that he possessed: great takeoff speed, great lateral movement at speed, hard to knock off the puck, amazing puck-handling at speed and in traffic, great hockey sense, playmaking abilities, and highlight reel potential. 

One of the negatives against Zherdev was that, due to his skill level, he held the puck too long. The scouting report noted that, if he tried this in the NHL, the chance of injury by a large, mobile defenseman would be high.

The scouting report also noted that Zherdev’s defensive game was nonexistent and that he was not a very physical player at all. Most telling was this quote: “When his line is on the ice, the goaltenders on both ends of the ice have their work cut out for them.”

A Russian journalist also noted that Zherdev “sometimes tries to act individually at the expense of the team’s success.”

The good and bad of Zherdev’s play were compared to Pavel Bure and Alexander Mogilny.

The Columbus Blue Jackets selected Zherdev with the fourth overall pick in the 2003 draft. He went before players such as Dion Phaneuf, Jeff Carter, Dustin Brown, Brent Seabrook, Zach Parise and Mike Richards.

Blue Jackets' GM Doug MacLean stated that Columbus had Zherdev first on their draft list.

 

Columbus Blue Jackets Years

Zherdev joined the Blue Jackets for the 2003-04 season and played in 57 games. During his rookie season he scored 13 goals and added 21 assists.

During the NHL lockout year of 2004-05, Zherdev returned to Russia, playing for CSKA Moscow.

The NHL returned in 2005-06 and Sergei Federov was brought in as a veteran leader for the young Blue Jackets.

Zherdev put up 54 points in 73 games in 2006 and showed that he was a highly skilled player. He also showed that he was young and had some growing up to do as far being a complete teammate and team player.

The 2006-07 season saw Zherdev take a huge dive in points and goals, scoring only 10 goals and adding 22 assists in 71 games played.  It should also be noted that Zherdev threatened to not report to the team prior to the '07 season if his contract demands were not met.

The team countered that his accomplishments were not in line with his salary demands.  In the end, a three-year, $7 million contract was signed.

He also had numerous clashes with the coaching staff and rumors swirled that he would be traded before the 2007-08 season began. His attitude and a perceived poor work ethic were wearing on the staff and his teammates.

One member of the Blue Jackets described Zherdev as a "diva.” Another teammate offered, “The guy’s not a good teammate, and that’s being kind.”

To these accusations, Zherdev offered a smile and said, “I can’t help it.”

Columbus coach Ken Hitchcock, not one to suffer the machinations of an “entitled” player, let Zherdev know what was expected of him:

We’re asking him to make the adjustment that every young player has to make. It will be his fourth season next season. By then, most guys have made the adjustment, so we’ll see. We’re asking him ‘Can you do the things the team needs you to do? Can you compete? Can you be a good teammate?’ That’s what we want to know.

Informed of the comments from his coach, Zherdev stated, “I will do it my way.”

The 2007-08 season proved to be the last in Columbus for a player that was now being referred to as “an enigma.” Zherdev played in all 82 games and put up his best offensive totals, 26 goals and 35 assists.

Zherdev had made strides during the season, becoming a better team player as well as a better teammate. Rumors still existed that had Zherdev and Hitchcock clashing. Perhaps seeing that his trade potential was at its highest, the Blue Jackets dealt Zherdev to the Rangers.

The Rangers were happy to have him join their hockey club.

 

New York Rangers Years

New York Rangers GM Glen Sather had this to say about Zherdev when the trade took place: “He’s got upside written all over him. We are trying to get younger, we are trying to get more talented and we’re trying to get faster."

Zherdev tied with Scott Gomez for the team lead in points with 58 during the 2007-08 season.

Zherdev became an unrestricted free agent after the 2008 season and sought a deal with the Rangers worth $4.5 million per year. The Rangers made a qualifying offer of $3.25 million, per the terms of the collective bargaining agreement. Zherdev then opted to have his case heard by an arbitrator.

The arbitrator handed down a ruling of a one-year deal worth $3.9 million.  The Rangers decided to walk away from the deal, making Zherdev an unrestricted free agent.

Glen Sather had this to say about the ruling: “We feel it is in our best interest to walk away and continue to explore all available options for our roster.”

At 24 years of age, after playing in 365 NHL games and scoring 99 goals and 140 assists, Nikolai Zherdev found himself unemployed in the NHL and headed back to Russia.

 

Return to Russia

On September 15, 2009, Zherdev signed a one-year deal to play with Atlant Moscow Oblast in the KHL. In 52 games he scored 13 goals and added 26 assists.

 

Philadelphia Flyers

On July 9 of this year, the Flyers signed Zherdev to a one-year deal worth $2 million.

The signing was questioned, much like the signing of Ray Emery was last year.  Most wondered whether “the enigma” was ready to return to the NHL and play a complete team game.

There is no question that Zherdev has a tremendous upside. He possesses all the skills of an NHL superstar. Did the return to Russia show him that he needs to perform to stay in the NHL?

Russian journalist Dmitry Chesnokov had this to say:

He thought he had the world at his feet playing in Columbus and then in New York. When I spoke to him in February, it seemed to me it made him think and realize what he lost or what he was losing… he is a smart kid. Sometimes something needs to happen to make a player realize what he has missed.

Flyers GM Paul Holmgren is taking a calculated risk with this signing, knowing that if Zherdev does perform up to his potential, he will be worth far more than the $2 million the Flyers are paying him this year.

Will the reward be worth the risk for the Flyers?  The answer is almost completely in the hands of Nikolai Zherdev.