With leagues around the world either in the midst of, or gearing up for, playoff season, attention naturally begins to shift toward notable free agents.

While additions from the European free-agent market don’t always pan out, as we saw with the Edmonton Oilers’ recent experiment with David Tomášek, it remains a low-cost, relatively low-risk avenue for NHL teams to uncover value and round out their depth charts.

This year, a handful of goaltenders have caught the attention of scouts, and the crown jewel of this class may be playing in Russia.

Alexander Smolin, a 22-year-old product of the Metallurg Magnitogorsk system, has quietly built an impressive........

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