Flyers reportedly nab rights to Nabokov

The Flyers might have just acquired their new starting goaltender. According to Tim Panaccio of CSNPhilly, the Flyers have a verbal agreement in place to give the Sharks a 7th round pick in exchange for exclusive negotiating rights with free agent Evgeni Nabokov. If the Flyers can't sign Nabokov by July 1st, no draft pick is exchanged and he becomes an unrestricted free agent.

Depending on how much Nabokov signs for, this could turn out to be quite a deal for the Flyers. As I said yesterday, Nabokov is 35 and hasn't won any big games in his career, but he's still an upgrade for the Flyers in net. If they can sign him to a reasonable contract that doesn't hinder the Flyers from getting a few other pieces this offseason, it's hard to complain too much about having a reliable, legitimate number one goaltender playing behind a solid Flyers defense.

Whether Nabokov actually wants to sign with the Flyers is another story. Having played his entire career on the West Coast and with no ties to the Flyers, why would a veteran goaltender like Nabokov not want to become a unrestricted free agent and listen to offers from every interested team? Fortunately for the Flyers, this is a no-risk move; should Nabokov not sign with the team they will lose nothing.

More judgement to come if/when Nabokov signs a contract.