Yegor Zavragin, easily the Flyers' top goaltending prospect, had one year remaining on his KHL contract. The expectation was that he would finish the upcoming season in Russia before transitioning to North America. He would be given a chance to fight for an NHL role, but it wouldn't have been a surprise for him to start in the AHL.
But recent news has seemingly changed that. Early Saturday morning, Zavragin was traded from SKA St. Petersburg to Metallurg Magnitogorsk. The move should be a good one for Zavragin, but it comes at a cost for the Flyers.
⚡️ Обмен между «Металлургом» и СКА – состав нашей команды пополняют Егор Заврагин и Егор Зеленов
— ХК «Металлург» (@MetallurgMgn) June 6, 2026
Защитник «Металлурга» Алексей Маклюков переходит в клуб из Санкт-Петербурга. #Металлург #Магнитогорск #ММК #Братьяпоогню pic.twitter.com/KoivR2sIZ0
There has been word that Zavragin has signed on for another year of KHL hockey, which would keep him in Russia through the 2027-28 season. Hockey News Hub, which covers all things KHL, reported the news shortly after the trade. It's only a report, but with Zavragin given a better opportunity to develop his game, it would not come as a shock.
Zavragin's trade should allow him to better develop as a top goaltender
While Zavragin put up rather strong numbers at each level he played at, SKA leaned heavily on their tandem of Artemi Pleshkov and Sergei Ivanov. The two worked well together, appearing in 32 and 29 games respectively. Zavragin appeared in 12 games for the KHL squad, despite playing in 37 games in the prior season.
Compared to last year, this season was a bit tougher for Zavragin statistically. He posted a 2.63 goals against average and had a .919 save percentage. Those numbers aren't bad by any means for a 20-year-old playing in the top league in Russia. And while he did post a better save percentage than the previous season, it was a dramatic drop in games played, so the sample sizes aren't quite the same.
He also played 18 games in the VHL, the second-tier league in Russia, for the first time since the 2023-24 season. Zavragin was SKA-VMF St. Petersburg's best goaltender, posting a 1.44 GAA, a .949 SV%, and adding five shutouts. He also played one regular-season game in the MHL and four postseason contests.
Metallurg is coming off a strong season, placing first in the East with 48 wins in 68 games and holding the best record in the league. They fell short of a championship, dropping their semi-final series to Ak Bars 4-1. The team had run a tandem of Ilya Nabokov and Alexander Smolin. However, the former was assigned to the Avalanche's AHL team at the end of the season and will continue his career in North America. Smolin signed a contract extension shortly before the trade.
This opens up a prime spot for Zavragin to work with Smolin, or possibly take over the starting role if all goes well. And with an opportunity for more playing time, it should only help Zavragin's development and put him in a better situation when he does come to Philadelphia. Smolin has posted strong numbers since debuting full-time in the KHL in 2024-25. He has been especially phenomenal in the playoffs.
Having that kind of internal competition will be another good thing for Zavragin's game. It was harder for him to compete in SKA when there were two solid options ahead of him. With only Smolin, the two will be able to push each other to be better.
Even if this move delays Zavragin's arrival to Philadelphia, it should help everyone out in the long run.
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