One thing that you can’t fault Montreal Canadiens General Manaer Marc Bergevin for is not giving an effort at finding new, fresh talent. The common thing you hear from experts is that the GM, now in his fourth year on the job, is “always working the phones.” That continues to be the case, as the Canadiens are reportedly interested in bringing in Russian center Vadim Shipachyov from the Kontinental Hockey League.

Who is Vadim Shipachyov?

For those who are unfamiliar with the KHL, Shipachyov is an eight-year veteran in the KHL. He received his first cup of coffee with the Cherepovets Severstal in 2006-07, playing one game, and then following it up with eight games in the regular season and four games in the post-season the following year before becoming a full-time player in the big league. Shipachyov spent the next five years with Cherepovets, scoring 70 goals and 120 assists in 240 games. His best season with the team came in 2011-12, where he scored at over a point-per-game pace (59 points in 54 games), while he put up six points in six post-season games the following year.

Moving over to the St. Petersburg SKA in 2013-14, Shipachyov learned a new system and experienced tremendous success playing on a team with Ilya Kovalchuk, now-Chicago Blackhawk Artemi Panarin and Evgeny Dadonov, a third-round selection in 2007 (Florida Panthers). Following a 32-point performance in 54 games with the new team, Shipachyov then put up a point-per-game pace in the next two seasons with St. Petersburg, scoring 54 points in 49 games in 2014-15 and then improving on those totals with 60 points in 54 games the nest season. In 2015-16, Shipachyov led the team in points, 11 ahead of Ilya Kovalchuk.

In the 2014-15 post-season, Shipachyov recorded 21 points in 22 games, en route to St. Petersburg defeating Ak Bars Kazan in five games to capture the Gagarin Cup.

Shipachyov is described as a highly intelligent player who is magical when the puck is on his stick. Not a natural scorer or a shoot-first kind of player, he is more of a set-up man that can find linemates in tight spaces and hit them with crisp passes. While Shipachyov isn’t one to carry the puck from the neutral zone to the offensive zone, he possesses good stick-handling ability and has a Pro-level wrist shot that could be useful on a Canadiens team that desperately needs goal scoring.

While he is on the smaller side of six feet, standing exactly at the 6’0 mark and closing in on 190 pounds, some compare his playing style to Evgeni Malkin of the Pittsburgh Penguins, minus the physical aspect. He still doesn’t shy away from board battles and contact, but doesn’t have the same strength as Malkin. His style and play were also a big reason why Nikita Gusev, a 7th-round pick by the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2012, scored 35 points in 33 games this season.

The KHL Scoop on Shipachyov

According to Aivis Kalnins (@A_Kalnins), KHL writer and expert from One Puck Short, here is what went down in St. Persburg, regarding Vadim Shipachyov and why he requested his contract to be terminated in order to move on to the National Hockey League:

“Right, so I checked in with a few of my people out there, and what I have is – Shipachyov is looking to go to NHL, and is looking for a place to land. His agent is testing the waters but, according to another source, Montreal has shown interest and at this point is considered the top seed. Looking at him and SKA, there’s obviously not much more room for improvement from both sides; he has a Gagarin Cup, and this season was a nightmare for the team and he has nothing to gain. SKA have overpaid him for a while now and the money isn’t a concern. Shipachyov has seen how Panarin switched from KHL to NHL and he knows that he can do the same, which I believe he can. All this Kovalchuk drama has killed SKA’s room and he isn’t the only guy who wants out, a huge chunk of their core players left last season, and now it’s his turn.

Shipachyov is a really skilled center with great vision, reads the game well, is a good skater, loves to have the puck, great offensive mind. He has to work on his physical game (Well everyone that plays in KHL does). Good guy to have in locker room, he’s really vocal and knows when to step up.”

Should The Habs Target Vadim Shipachyov

Next season, Marc Bergevin is headed into his fifth season as the General Manager of the club, and some see it is the last straw for him. It also marks the first off-season where the team does not make the playoffs under Bergevin’s regime, making a simple re-tool not good enough anymore. Targeting a skilled center in Shipachyov would be a gamble, but one where Bergevin doesn’t risk losing any assets and very well could acquire without spending too much money on the cap.

This off-season is the time to improve the top-six and gain some offense-capable forwards to lead the team through an 82-game season; Targeting players like Shipachyov and upcoming free agent Jimmy Vesey. The only concern of acquiring a talent like Shipachyov isn’t about his skill translating well in North America, but if he’ll mesh well under Head Coach Michel Therrien. That is, if Therrien is still around.

A big thank you to Aivis Kalnins for his contribution on this piece.