The Philadelphia Flyers announced they have loaned forward German Rubtsov to Sochi of the KHL as teams try to send some of their younger plays overseas to get them some playing time before the expected late start of the NHL’s 2020-21 season.
Rubtsov showed significant promise in 2018-19 when he started his rookie campaign with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms, scoring six goals and 10 points in 14 games. However, a shoulder injury ended his season early. He came back this year, but struggled in his second year in Lehigh Valley. He tallied just two goals and 13 points in 42 games, although he was recalled once by the Flyers, appearing in four games, although he failed to register a point.
An early start to the 2020-21 season makes quite a bit of sense for Rubtsov, who is still looking to find his game after suffering a significant injury not that long ago. The team was hoping that Rubtsov, the team’s 2016 first-round pick, would be able to provide a depth option for the Flyers at this point, but he wasn’t included on the team’s postseason roster. It’s believed that he will return to the Flyers team for training camp, whenever that will be.