According to renowned Russian agent Shumi Babaev, he and the Philadelphia Flyers are set to begin contract extension negotiations for defenseman Egor Zamula shortly.

“Soon we’re going to conduct negotiations with Philadelphia about Egor Zamula and with Columbus about Egor Chinakhov,” Babaev posted to his Twitter/X account shortly after midnight on Tuesday. “The clubs have already told that they are interested in prolonged contracts of these players.”

Zamula, 24, is no longer waivers exempt and would become a restricted free agent this summer if an extension is not signed before July 1. The Russian blueliner just completed his first full season in the NHL, scoring five goals, 16 assists, and 21 points in 66 games. At one point, Zamula was entrusted with the task of running the Flyers’ top power play unit, which he did to varying degrees of success before being replaced by Jamie Drysdale and Cam York.

Third pairing minutes notwithstanding, Zamula was actually one of the more effective defensemen in the NHL this past season. Accounting for all situations, Zamula’s on-ice goal differential was 13–the 39th-best mark in the NHL. For reference, Buffalo Sabres star Rasmus Dahlin was 33rd at 15, while Luke Hughes was 29th at 18 and Charlie McAvoy finished 25th at 20.

Further to that point, Zamula’s expected on-ice goal differential was 4.3, so his minutes featured a combination of strong finishing results and strong goaltending results. At only 24 years of age, the 6-foot-3 defenseman would be a wise bet to continue to develop and improve, especially in his own end.

If and when the Flyers sign Zamula to a contract extension, they would officially have six NHL defensemen under contract for next season. Zamula appears to have locked down a regular spot in the Flyers’ lineup, at least for now, alongside Drysdale, York, Nick Seeler, Travis Sanheim, and Rasmus Ristolainen, who underwent triceps surgery in April.

The Flyers do not plan on re-signing veteran defenseman Marc Staal, and it’s currently unclear whether trade deadline acquisition Erik Johnson wishes to further his playing career. Other rotational options include Adam Ginning, also a pending RFA, Emil Andrae, and Louie Belpedio.