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Maxim Shabanov

Islanders Notes: Shabanov, Barzal, Horvat, Drouin

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Despite drawing interest from several NHL teams, Russian free agent forward Maxim Shabanov chose to sign his one-year, entry-level contract with the New York Islanders because of the opportunities it presents, per Daria Tuboltseva of RG.org.

As Tuboltseva notes, Utah, Philadelphia, Vegas, Boston, and the New York Rangers expressed interest in Shabanov and that the 24-year-old surveyed all options before landing with the Islanders. In part, Shabanov prioritized finding the right fit over securing the biggest payday.  His contract will carry a $975,000 cap hit and maximum bonuses – valued at $3.5MM – per NHL.com’s Kevin Weekes.

“Utah really wanted him. So did Philadelphia, Vegas, Boston, the Rangers. So many teams. Some clubs even lost patience because the decision took a while. We were getting five or six calls a day,” his agent, Alexander Chernykh, told RG.

Despite being listed at just 5’8″ and 157 pounds, Shabanov recorded 23 goals and 67 points in 65 games with the KHL’s HC Traktor this season — the third-highest point total in the league. What he lacks in size, he makes up for with speed and skill. Shabanov will look to carve out a role on the Islanders’ third line but could conceivably work his way up the lineup. Today, coach Patrick Roy also noted the team’s interest in utilizing Shabanov as a flank on the power play, per a team release.

Elsewhere with the Islanders:

  • Roy noted that he envisions forwards Jonathan Drouin and Bo Horvat starting training camp on the same line, pairing Drouin’s playing-making abilities with Horvat’s shoot-first mentality. As Roy stated, “I think they’re both going to connect very well.” Drouin will provide the Islanders with key power-play minutes, which Roy said is one of the reasons GM Mathieu Darche signed the veteran to a two-year, $8MM contract. Drouin has recorded 31 power-play points over the past two seasons and 125 across his 11-year NHL career.
  • Roy also stated that Mathew Barzal is expected to slot back into his natural center position next season. Barzal, 28, began his career exclusively as a center but has spent time on the wing in each of the past two seasons. While he’s just one year removed from an 80-point campaign, he was limited to only 30 games last season due to injury, recording six goals and 20 points. With a career faceoff win rate of just 42.3 percent, Barzal will likely spend the offseason working to improve in that area. Last season, he took 52 faceoffs, winning just 22.

Islanders Sign Maxim Shabanov

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The New York Islanders have announced they’ve signed KHL forward Maxim Shabanov to a one-year, entry-level contract. The deal was first reported by Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, and confirmed by Stefen Rosner of The Hockey News. Rosner adds that the New York Rangers and Philadelphia Flyers were also among Shabanov’s finalists, before deciding on the Islanders. The contract will carry a $975,000 cap hit and maximum bonuses – valued at $3.5MM – per NHL.com’s Kevin Weekes.

Shabanov, 24, will follow in the footsteps of top Islanders’ rookie Maxim Tsyplakov, who posted 10 goals and 35 points in 77 games this season after seven seasons in the KHL. Shabanov has three full years of KHL experience to his name, though he’s found a way to emerge as one of his team’s top forwards in each year. He scored 23 goals and 67 points in 65 games with HC Traktor this season, good for the third-most points in the entire league. He then added an additional 20 points, split evenly, in 21 postseason appearances as Traktor charged towards a championship runner-up finish.

It was a red-hot performance for the young winger, after he broke out with 25 goals and 50 points in 64 games last season. That performance was itself a stark increase from the 18 goals and 31 points that Shabanov managed as a KHL rookie in 2022-23. Three years of production have made Shabanov one of the top young forwards. In fact, his 150 points in 207 career KHL games is the ninth-most a player has scored prior to their 25th birthday. He ranks just ahead of Vadim Shipachyov, and just behind New Jersey Devils forward Arseni Gritsyuk.

Shabanov is a flashy, high-speed forward with a knack for finding ways to get involved in the offense. He was among Traktor’s biggest drivers through the neutral zone this season, and consistently found ways to crash the net on or off of the puck. He’s got a strong shot, nifty hands, and a creative ability to set up plays that should all yield interesting offensive upside at the NHL level. He could be held back by a slight, 5-foot-8 frame — a knock that likely excluded him from much NHL draft consideration during his years of eligibility in 2019, 2020, and 2021.

Shabanov should slot into the Islanders’ third-line left-wing role to start his NHL career. He could also be a candidate to man a right-wing role, should it better fit New York’s deployment of Anthony Duclair and newcomer Jonathan Drouin. He could even fit on the opposite wing to Tsyplakov. The two young Russians have never appeared in league play together.

Metropolitan Notes: Shabanov, Gill, Boilard

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Russian center Maxim Shabanov’s KHL contract expired at the end of May, making him an unrestricted free agent.  Several NHL teams have shown interest and it looks like his search for a new club could be nearing the finish line.  Sport-Express’ Igor Eronko reports that the Flyers are expected to sign the 24-year-old although Kevin Kurz of The Athletic relays (Twitter link) that nothing is done yet although the team is hopeful that they’ll land him.  Shabanov finished third this season in KHL scoring with 23 goals and 44 assists in 65 games and followed that up by finishing second in playoff points with 10 goals and 10 helpers in 21 contests.  Regardless of whether he signs with Philadelphia or another team, Shabanov will be capped at signing a one-year, entry-level contract.

More from the Metropolitan:

  • Still with the Flyers, prospect Spencer Gill is on the move in the QMJHL as the league announced (Twitter link) that the defenseman has been traded from Rimouski to Blainville-Boisbriand. The 18-year-old was a second-round pick last June, going 59th overall after a solid showing with the Oceanic that saw him notch 46 points in 65 games.  Injuries limited Gill to just 51 games this season where he had six goals and 29 assists.  He has one more year of playing in major junior before he can begin playing in the pros for the 2026-27 campaign; he has already signed his entry-level contract.
  • Rangers prospect Raoul Boilard will be suiting up for a different team in the QMJHL next season. The league announced (Twitter link) that the center was dealt from Baie-Comeau to Shawinigan.  Boilard, a fourth-round selection last year (119th overall), saw his output drop compared to his draft year as he notched 12 goals and 34 assists in 53 games after putting up 22 goals and 40 helpers the year before, one that he was able to stay healthy in as he played in all 68 games in 2023-24.  Next season will be a big one for Boilard as New York has not yet signed him to a contract.

Golden Knights, Penguins Interested In Maxim Shabanov

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Maxim Shabanov has been tabbed as one of the crown jewels of this summer’s international free agency period, although it appears he’s still in the courting stage of NHL offers and isn’t close to a deal. That’s because his season in Russia just recently ended with Traktor Chelyabinsk of the Kontinental Hockey League, who advanced to the Gagarin Cup Final but lost to Lokomotiv Yaroslavl. Today, Sergey Demidov of RG and NHL.com reports the Golden Knights and Penguins are two of the clubs that have “closely monitored” Shabanov throughout the season in hopes of landing him on an entry-level contract in the coming weeks.

There’s a natural fit for Shabanov, a 24-year-old right winger, in both organizations. The Golden Knights could use more cost-effective depth scoring with wingers Victor Olofsson, Tanner Pearson, Brandon Saad, and Reilly Smith all slated to become unrestricted free agents this summer. The Penguins, on the other hand, simply want to acquire younger, higher-upside talent to fill out their roster as they retool in the final stages of Sidney Crosby’s and Evgeni Malkin’s careers.

There are understandable concerns about Shabanov’s 5’8″, 157-lb frame that almost certainly makes him a winger at the NHL level despite being tested at center in Russia, but he’s coming off a spectacular season with Traktor. He led the team in scoring in the regular season with a 23-44–67 line in 65 games before leading the Gagarin Cup Playoffs with 10 goals and a +14 rating in 21 games.

The Penguins aren’t the only Metropolitan Division team that has an eye on Shabanov. After he got off to a hot start in the early weeks of the 2024-25 KHL season, the Islanders quickly displayed interest in his services, Ethan Sears of the New York Post said at the time. The Isles have had quite recent success with undrafted KHL pickups, hitting on one just last year with winger Maxim Tsyplakov. With a strong Russian presence on the Island in the form of Tsyplakov, Alexander Romanov, and Ilya Sorokin, there’s likely mutual appeal there for Shabanov as he adjusts to the NHL. He’d have Malkin in Pittsburgh, of course, and Pavel Dorofeyev in Vegas as well to help him with the transition.

Cap constraints likely won’t come into the picture, at least not immediately. Shabanov is only eligible for a one-year entry-level contract, so teams know they’ll have to reserve a chunk of change to re-up him in 2026-27 if he pans out for them next season.

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