Free agent Roman Lyubimov leaves Flyers, returns to Russia
Lyubimov told his agent that his primary motivation was to remain eligible to compete in the 2018 Olympics.
As expected, restricted free agent Roman Lyubimov officially spurned the Flyers' qualifying offer, signing a three-year deal with CSKA Moscow of the Kontinental Hockey League over the weekend.
A healthy scratch in 20 of the Flyers final 22 games last season, Lyubimov – who earned $925,000 last season — told his agent that his primary motivation in returning home was to remain eligible to compete in the 2018 Winter Olympics.
The NHL announced earlier this year that its players would not participate in the PyeongChang games. Lyubimov scored four goals and had six points in 47 games with the Flyers as mostly a fourth-line player. With an expected infusion of young talent beginning this season, his prospects in Philadelphia seemed nebulous at best.
Lyubimov's decision drops the number of Flyers restricted free agents still unsigned to five: Scott Laughton, Anthony Stolarz, Alex Lyon, Cole Bardreau, and Taylor Leier.