Nikolai_zherdev
He was given a second chance here. Instead of making the most of it, Zherdev took a big ol' shit in the bed.

After not having played since February 10th, Zherdev and his agent, Jay Grossman, requested the Flyers seek other teams for his half-assed services. Holmgren was happy to oblige by waiving Z:[Philly Sports Daily]

“His agent [Jay Grossman] and Nik, they’re obviously not happy with the situation here,” general manager Paul Holmgren said. “They’d asked us to look around for options. Nothing really came of that through trades, so we’ll see what happens with this.”

 

This started on day one. A Flyers source told me early on that Grossman had to be called in to talk to his client, who hid behind his Russian heritage so he didn't have to speak to the media… even though he speaks perfectly good English. Zherdev conceded briefly, saying he only wouldn't talk to Tim Panaccio. That's a story we've detailed several times.

By all accounts, Zherdev quickly went back to his quiet ways. And while that may have nothing to do with his performance on the ice, it shows exactly the type of person he is. A flake.

He is a very skilled hockey player. That is apparent when you watched him play this season (the few times he was actually trying). But he's also a guy who can't seem to buy into a team concept, something that obviously won't fly with Lavs.

“I think at times for me it was just the level of play,” Laviolette said. “It wasn’t the skill thing, it was the level and the level that he played. There were other guys that were performing better. So there’s only nine that can go in there – the nine I felt were playing.”

 

Zherdev, however, when asked why he didn't play, just shrugged and said "I do my job."

Stevie Why, who said Zherdev literally ducked out the back door and jumped into a Lincoln Town car upon finding out the news, has an excellent recap over at Philly Sports Daily of what will happen now. Read it.