Islanders’ Max Shabanov Out Day-To-Day
The New York Islanders’ Monday practice was laden with positive injury updates, including the brief return of Pierre Engvall, Alexander Romanov, and Sergei Varlamov at various points around practice. Even with the positives, New York will need to adjust their lineup, as winger Max Shabanov recovers from a day-to-day, lower-body injury per NHL.com’s Stefen Rosner.
The Islanders iced depth winger Kyle MacLean and listed Shabanov as a healthy scratch in Saturday’s win over the Calgary Flames. MacLean contributed one assist to the Islanders’ three-goal effort. That brought him up to seven points in 48 games this season. MacLean has spent many of those games in a fourth-line role that should continue on until Shabanov returns to a lineup role. New York could also lean on Marc Gatcomb, who has scored four points in 36 games this season.
Shabanov has had a tough time transitioning to the NHL after a standout season in Russia’s KHL last season. He finished the 2024-25 season with 23 goals and 67 points in 65 KHL games, the third-most points in the league. That production made Shabanov a top free agent last summer. Multiple teams were in on the race to sign the stickhandling wizard, with the Islanders ultimately winning out.
New York began the season with Shabanov in a middle-six role. He scored 10 points in his first 19 NHL games, while averaging just over 14 minutes a game. That hot streak was followed by a nine-game stretch where Shabanov only scored one point, beginning in mid-December. He kicked the bug for a bit, only to fall into another cold streak recently, with one point in his last 12 games.
The Islanders have responded to the dwindling scoring by demoting Shabanov to a fourth-line role and even healthy scratching the scoring winger. He sits with four goals and 16 points in 42 games in his NHL rookie season. A short-term injury will offer Shabanov a chance to rest up after a tough stretch and prepare to once again contribute strong scoring as the Islanders push for their first playoff appearance since 2024.
Max Shabanov Open To A Trade
Last year, winger Max Shabanov was a highly sought-after free agent from the KHL after putting up 67 points in 65 games with Traktor Chelyabinsk. The Islanders were the winners of those sweepstakes with the expectation that he’d be able to step in and contribute right away.
However, things haven’t gone quite as planned so far. The 25-year-old has just four goals and 12 assists in 40 games this season while being a frequent healthy scratch as of late. He’s averaging just shy of 14 minutes per game on the campaign but given that he’s on the outside looking in at a lineup spot, it appears he’s open to a potential change of scenery. Stefan Rosner of The Elmonters reports that Shabanov is open to a trade in the hopes of receiving a larger opportunity on another team.
Shabanov is certainly affordable for most teams as his entry-level deal only carries a base salary of $975K. While he has $3.5MM of potential performance bonuses in his contract, $2.5MM of those are ‘B’ bonuses which he clearly isn’t going to reach while he hasn’t met the criteria to unlock any of his four ‘A’ bonuses either. Should he be dealt and reach any of those, the acquiring team would be responsible for the payment and salary cap charge.
Because Shabanov was capped to a one-year contract in the entry-level system, he’s slated to become a restricted free agent with salary arbitration rights this summer. His performance so far isn’t setting him up for a big payday but a change of scenery with a bigger role down the stretch could boost his earning potential.
New York enters today with a little over $6MM in LTIR space, per PuckPedia, so GM Mathieu Darche will have some options in a potential Shabanov trade. He can take on a bigger contract if he finds a player that’s a better fit for their lineup instead of being capped at trying to match money as some buyers are stuck trying to do at the moment. Given how many teams were interested in Shabanov last summer, it wouldn’t be shocking to see at least a few of them kick the tires on trying to get the winger into their system.
Islanders Notes: Shabanov, Drouin, Schaefer
The New York Islanders will see the return of NHL rookie Max Shabanov in Sunday’s matchup against the Colorado Avalanche, per Ethan Sears of The New York Post. Shabanov has missed the last three weeks with an upper-body injury. Sears adds that the injury was sustained in New York’s October 18th matchup against the Ottawa Senators, and that he tried to tough it out for one game before stepping out of the lineup.
Shabanov managed three points in his first six NHL games prior to the injury. He added a minus-three, five hits, and eight shots on goal to that scoring. He’s been a productive addition, who could only heat up with a return to the lineup. Shabanov scored 33 goals and 87 points in 76 KHL games last season.
Compatriot Maxim Tsyplakov will step out of the lineup to make room for Shabanov. Tsyplakov has one goal and a minus-seven through 12 games this season. It’s a far fall from the 35-point season he posted as an NHL rookie last season. He’ll get a chance to recenter from the press box, while Shabanov looks to maintain his strong scoring.
Other notes out of the Islanders/Colorado matchup:
- Winger Jonathan Drouin spoke with reporters about his move from the Avalanche to the Islanders ahead of Sunday’s matchup. He shared that he was disappointed with not having the chance to re-sign in Colorado, and that he would have been open to spending the rest of his career with the Avalanche, per Jesse Montano of Guerilla Sports. Drouin found a true resurgance with the Avalanche, potting 56 points in 79 games of the 2023-24 season after not scoring more than 30 through the prior four seasons. He followed that with 37 points in 43 games last season, though his year was derailed by injuries. Drouin has stayed incredibly productive in New York, netting 14 points in 17 games, good for fourth on the team in scoring. He’ll look to prove his scoring prowess against the Avalanche this afternoon.
- Avalanche head coach Jared Bednar was asked about the similarities between superstar Cale Makar and emerging rookie Matthew Schaefer by Evan Rawal of the Denver Gazette. He agreed the duo are worth comparing, and praised Schaefer’s ability to get involved with play, closing with “He’s gonna be a real good one”. Schaefer leads the Islanders’ defense, and all rookies, in scoring with 15 points in 17 games. It’s an incredible feat given Schaefer is the youngest player in the NHL by five months and missed almost all of the 2024-25 season with injury. He’s developing into a true superstar, and will get his first chance to face his model comparison in the bout against Colorado.