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Maxim Tsyplakov

Snapshots: Tsyplakov, Knyzhov, Phillips

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The Islanders settled with winger Maxim Tsyplakov before an arbitration hearing earlier today, with the two sides agreeing to a two-year deal with a $2.25MM cap hit. Tsyplakov came down significantly from his initial ask of a $3MM AAV to get the deal done, reports Stefen Rosner of NHL.com. Tsyplakov’s camp lowered their ask to the $2.75MM range once they realized they wouldn’t get Isles general manager Mathieu Darche to acquiesce and dole out a $3MM cap hit. However, when that still wasn’t doing the trick, they ended up settling for the eventual $2.25MM figure out of fear that an arbitrator would dole out a lower award, Rosner reports, particularly as Tsyplakov would only have been eligible for a one-year contract if he reached a hearing, as he was only one year away from UFA eligibility.

Here’s more from around the hockey world today:

  • The Canucks’ AHL affiliate in Abbotsford announced four signings today, including former Sharks defenseman Nikolai Knyzhov. His brief 81-game NHL career with San Jose was derailed by a core muscle surgery that sidelined him for the entire 2021-22 season, and he hasn’t played in the NHL since the Sharks bought him out following the 2023-24 campaign. He landed a PTO with the Penguins in training camp last fall, but that only yielded an AHL contract with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. The 27-year-old lefty was later traded to the Grand Rapids Griffins in March. He totaled six points and a +1 rating in 26 appearances for the two clubs, along with one assist and a -6 rating in six appearances for the ECHL’s Cincinnati Cyclones.
  • Flames defense prospect Mace’o Phillips will delay his college commitment for the University of Minnesota for a year and instead join the USHL’s Green Bay Gamblers for his post-draft season, Ryan Sikes of Puck Preps reports. Calgary’s third-round pick (No. 80) in last month’s draft will now wait to join the NCAA ranks until 2026-27. The 6’6″, 234-lb shutdown lefty spent last year with the U.S. National Team Development Program’s under-18 squad, where he posted six points and a -11 rating with a whopping 103 PIMs in 60 appearances.

Islanders Sign Maxim Tsyplakov To Two-Year Deal

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The Islanders have avoided an arbitration hearing with restricted free agent winger Maxim Tsyplakov and signed him to a two-year, $4.5MM contract, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports.

Tsyplakov’s hearing was scheduled for Tuesday, so the settlement comes with four days to spare. Of the seven players who made it to mid-July without having their arbitration cases settled, two of them have now agreed to new deals. The Kraken reached a three-year, $13.575MM deal with Kaapo Kakko, whose hearing was initially scheduled for today, last Tuesday.

The situation surrounding Tsyplakov was rare in that he was eligible for arbitration immediately after his rookie season. That’s rarely the case, but since he signed his first NHL contract last summer at the age of 25, he only needed one season’s worth of 10 games of professional experience to qualify.

In the end, they avoid a hearing and reach a resolution to reward Tsyplakov, who was viewed as the top international free agent on last summer’s market, following a rookie season that saw the Russian forward adjust well to North American ice. There were questions about his offensive ceiling, considering his previous KHL track record – he’d never scored more than 10 goals in a pro season before his 31-goal, 47-point breakout for Spartak Moscow in 2023-24 – but he mainly put those to bed in his first season on the Island.

Tsyplakov obviously didn’t reproduce his KHL numbers, but he settled in well as a valuable middle-six checking winger. His 10-25–35 scoring line in 77 games ranked eighth on the team in point production, and there’s likely room for improvement moving forward after he only shot 8.6% in 2024-25. Tsyplakov also ranked fifth on the team in hits with 140 while averaging 14:58 per game, 1:31 of which came on the power play. He didn’t see any penalty kill usage but provided good possession impacts at even strength with a 51.6 CF%, 2.8% better than how the team fared without him on the ice.

Since his underlying numbers suggest replicable offensive production, a $2.25MM cap hit seems like good value for Tsyplakov’s services, even if he sees his minutes reduced slightly with the free agent signings of Jonathan Drouin and Maxim Shabanov, another KHL pickup, likely pushing him down the depth chart somewhat. The Islanders now have $1.625MM in projected cap space this season with a full roster, according to PuckPedia.

The deal walks Tsyplakov, who turns 27 in September, to unrestricted free agency in 2027.

Image courtesy of Russell LaBounty-Imagn Images.

Arbitration Schedule For Remaining Cases Finalized

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The arbitration hearing dates for the few remaining unsettled cases have been finalized, PuckPedia reports:

F Kaapo Kakko, Kraken: July 25

G Arvid Soderblom, Blackhawks: July 28

F Maxim Tsyplakov, Islanders: July 29

D Dylan Samberg, Jets: July 30

D Conor Timmins, Sabres: Aug. 2

F Nicholas Robertson, Maple Leafs: Aug. 3

D Jayden Struble, Canadiens: Aug. 3

There are only seven out of this year’s initial 11 player-elected arbitration cases still without a resolution as the hearings approach. Winnipeg had three of the players on that list and has settled with two of them, reaching a two-year, $3.7MM settlement with Morgan Barron and a substantial six-year, $45MM deal for Gabriel Vilardi.

The Ducks also had two arbitration cases on that list, but settled with both of them in the past few days. Depth defenseman Drew Helleson got a two-year, $2.2MM contract, while emerging star goaltender Lukas Dostal signed a five-year, $32.5MM deal.

There were two team-elected arbitration cases this year, the Sabres’ Bowen Byram and the Mammoth’s Jack McBain, but both have been settled.

As for the seven players above, they can continue talks with their clubs on a new deal until the hearing begins. After that, they’re bound to the arbitrator’s decision.

Players who reach an arbitration hearing are only eligible to sign a one or two-year contract. Since the player filed for arbitration in all seven cases above, the team gets to choose the contract length after receiving the arbitrator’s decision on the AAV. However, only Robertson, Soderblom, and Struble would be eligible for two-year contracts. Everyone else is one year away from being eligible for unrestricted free agency status, so they can’t receive a multi-year arbitration award.

If the arbitration award exceeds $4.85MM in any case, the team can decline it and allow the player to become an unrestricted free agent.

Eleven Players Elect Salary Arbitration

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Eleven players across the NHL have elected for salary arbitration, per the NHLPA.

Those names include:

The deadline for second club-elected arbitration is Sunday at 5 p.m., with arbitration hearings scheduled from July 20 to August 4. Two seasons ago, 23 players filed for arbitration, and last summer, that number dropped to 14 — a downward trend that continues this year.

As a reminder, not every player is expected to head to a hearing, as negotiations will continue leading into July 20. However, each player who elects for salary arbitration is now prohibited from negotiating with other teams or signing an offer sheet.

Islanders Working On Extension For Maxim Tsyplakov

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The Islanders have offered an extension worth around $3MM per season to pending restricted free agent right-winger Maxim Tsyplakov, agent Alexander Chernykh told Russian outlet Sport-Express (translated by Stefen Rosner and Matthew Page of The Hockey News). It’s unclear what length of contract the two sides are discussing at this point.

It would hardly be a surprise to see New York hammer out a deal with Tsyplakov before the trade deadline on March 7. The club has rocketed up the standings to a 25-23-7 record, 11 points out of a divisional berth in the Metropolitan but only four points out of a wild card spot. That bump in playoff odds to 32.5% (according to MoneyPuck) means a deadline retool is more likely than a complete selloff, meaning additional cost certainty for the 2025-26 campaign will come at a higher priority for general manager Lou Lamoriello.

Tsyplakov, 26, is one of the club’s more intriguing players and would have commanded a decent return if they decided to sell him off with one season left under team control. Undrafted, he was never on NHL teams’ radars throughout his professional career. That changed last summer on the heels of a massive 31-goal, 47-point breakout in 65 games for Spartak Moscow of the Kontinental Hockey League, ranking fourth in the KHL in goals. He generated interest from multiple teams on the international free agent, including the Canadiens and Maple Leafs, before landing a one-year entry-level deal with the Isles in mid-May.

Early in the 2024-25 campaign, Tsyplakov proved he could hang as not only a middle-six presence in the NHL but a top-six one. He scored a goal and logged a whopping 20:46 of ice time in his NHL debut against Utah, an overtime loss, and has remained a second-line option with Brock Nelson and Kyle Palmieri for most of the season. His offensive production is decent – 7-18–25 through 51 games – and he boasts a plus-nine rating with a team-high 33 PIMs. He doesn’t shoot the puck with aplomb, scoring on 10% of his 70 shots on goal, but he averages nearly 16 minutes per game and is tied for second on the club with 108 hits.

Tsyplakov doesn’t see any penalty kill usage but has taken reps on the second power-play unit, pairing the special-teams deployment with good possession impacts at even strength. His 51.9 CF% ranks seventh among Islanders skaters with 10 or more games played, and his +3.3 expected rating ranks fifth.

If not for a three-game suspension in January for a hit to the head of Flyers center Ryan Poehling and a lone healthy scratch following the discipline, Tsyplakov would be on pace to play in all 82 games with an 11-29–40 scoring line. Paired with his physicality and solid defensive play, that’s good enough production to lock him in as a complementary second-line piece. A long-term commitment to a player on the wrong side of 25 with a limited track record as a true impact player professionally seems unlikely, but a bridge deal in the $2.5MM-$3.5MM range per season as outlined by Chernykh stands as a potentially high-value deal for the Isles over the next few years.

Islanders’ Maxim Tsyplakov Suspended Three Games

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The NHL Department of Player Safety has issued New York Islanders winger Maxim Tsyplakov a three-game suspension for an illegal check to the head of Philadelphia Flyers winger Ryan Poehling on Tuesday night. The hit came in the latter half of the first period, with Tsyplakov flying into Poehling while he was crashing the net. Poehling left the game with a head injury, which NHL Player Safety points to as part of the reason why first-time offender Tsyplakov received a multi-game suspension. He did not receive a penalty during the game.

Additionally, Flyers center Scott Laughton has been fined $5K, the most allowable under the CBA, for cross-checking Tsyplakov in retaliation later in the game. Laughton cross-checked Tsyplakov in the back after he made a pass in the offensive end.

The aftermath of the chippy game, which ended in a Flyers win, will see the Islanders move forward without their third-line left wing. Tsyplakov has had a successful rookie season with New York. He has 19 points through 44 games, ranked sixth among all first-year players. The 26-year-old winger signed with the Islanders as an undrafted free agent this summer after spending the last seven seasons with Moscow Spartak of Russia’s KHL. Tsyplakov climbed every wrung of Spartak’s lineup, ultimately working his way up to a top-line role and 47 points in 65 games last season. He’s rotated through the Islanders’ middle-six in his first NHL season, ultimately averaging just over 16 minutes of ice time each game – seventh-most among New York’s forwards.

The Islanders will likely turn towards Hudson Fasching in Tsyplakov’s absence. Fasching has served as New York’s extra forward this season and hasn’t played a game since January 5th. He’s totaled 19 appearances but is still searching for his first point of the season.

Islanders Place Hudson Fasching On IR

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The Islanders moved winger Hudson Fasching to injured reserve on Friday, per The Hockey News’ Stefen Rosner. His roster spot goes to forward Marc Gatcomb, who comes up from AHL Bridgeport for the second time this week and will suit up in his second career NHL game Saturday against the Sharks.

Fasching, 29, has already missed four games with an upper-body injury, so he can come off IR at any time. He isn’t expected back until late next week, general manager Lou Lamoriello said.

The move keeps their already-open active roster spot open while still getting Gatcomb on the roster. They’ll need that additional roster spot for another forward recall if winger Maxim Tsyplakov, who earned a hearing Friday for an illegal check to the head against the Flyers’ Ryan Poehling in last night’s loss, gets a suspension as a result of his actions as well. The open spot could also go to winger Simon Holmström, who’s on IR and has missed seven games with an upper-body injury but was a full participant in practice Friday, per Rosner.

Fasching has been a non-factor with no points and a minus-six rating in 19 appearances this season. The Islanders waived the Wisconsin native to begin the season but recalled him from Bridgeport in late October after an injury to Anthony Duclair, and he’s managed to stay on the roster since with continuing injuries creating the need for an extra forward.

Now in his third season on Long Island, Fasching is averaging a career-low 8:56 per game, second-lowest on the team among qualified skaters ahead of Matt Martin. He’s in the back half of a two-year, one-way extension he signed after a 2022-23 campaign where he recorded a career-high 10 goals and 19 points in 49 games with a +10 rating.

Gatcomb, 25, made his NHL debut in Tuesday’s shutout loss to the Sens, skating 7:27 in place of the sick Jean-Gabriel Pageau. Pageau is back, but Gatcomb projects to enter the lineup to give veteran enforcer Martin a night off against San Jose. He has 17 points in 35 games for Bridgeport this season, his first in the Islanders organization after landing a two-way deal in free agency. 

Metropolitan Notes: Milano, Tsyplakov, Vesey

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Capitals head coach Spencer Carbery isn’t enthused with winger Sonny Milano’s performance thus far this preseason, calling his showing “just okay” (via NHL.com’s Tom Gulitti). Carbery added Milano has “the benefit of the doubt” as a veteran, but the 28-year-old’s standing in the lineup certainly seems to be on thinner ice.

Line rushes still indicate Milano has the inside track at a third-line left wing role alongside Hendrix Lapierre and Aliaksei Protas, though. Now entering his third season with the Caps, the former Blue Jackets first-rounder had a career-high 15 goals in 49 games last year but added only eight assists for 23 points. It also came on the back of an unsustainably high 30% shooting rate – he averaged just over one shot on goal per game, the lowest of his career.

Milano doesn’t offer a ton of upside outside of scoring chance generation, so if that continues to dip, he could find himself on the outside looking in sooner rather than later. He has two years left on his contract at a $1.9MM cap hit and is facing competition for top-nine duties from PTO invite Jakub Vrána and 2022 first-round pick Ivan Miroshnichenko, among others.

Elsewhere in the Metro:

  • Islanders winger Maxim Tsyplakov is back at practice Sunday after sustaining a lower-body injury Friday, NHL.com’s Stefen Rosner relays. Recent line rushes indicate the 26-year-old free agent signing out of Russia’s Spartak Moscow is nearly a lock to make the opening night roster, potentially on a new-look fourth line with Casey Cizikas and Kyle MacLean. Viewed as the top international free agent on the market, Tsyplakov had a career-best 31 goals and 47 points in 65 games for Spartak last season.
  • Rangers winger Jimmy Vesey sustained a lower-body injury in Sunday’s practice, head coach Peter Laviolette relayed (via the New York Post’s Mollie Walker). He’s being evaluated but doesn’t appear set to miss any significant time, he added. Vesey, 31, is entering the back half of a two-year, $1.6MM deal and had 13 goals and 26 points in 80 games for the Blueshirts last year.

Maxim Tsyplakov Likely To Crack Islanders Roster

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Since the start of the week, the New York Islanders have been fairly quiet in free agency, as their only notable moves were re-signing defenseman Mike Reilly and poaching forward Anthony Duclair from the free agent market. As one of only 11 teams in the 2023-24 NHL season to average under three goals per game, the Islanders were expected to pursue goal-scoring this summer. One of the team’s most peculiar moves in addressing this dilemma happened in May as the team signed winger Maxim Tsyplakov from Spartak Moskva.

In an article from Stefen Rosner and Matthew Page of The Hockey News, the future of Tsyplakov was brought up to general manager Lou Lamoriello at the 2024 NHL Draft and he said, “We did not sign him for Bridgeport. He’s an NHL-type of player“. Given the transition between playing in the KHL and the NHL, it is more than likely that Tsyplakov will start the year on the Islanders’ third line with the ability to move up to the second line if his play warrants it.

If all goes as expected in New York, Tsyplakov will become the strong secondary scorer that the Islanders have desperately craved over the past several seasons. Tsyplakov scored 31 goals and 47 points for Spartak this past season in 65 games. In the playoffs, Tsyplakov did not perform up to his standards from the regular season as he collected two goals and four points in 11 games while tallying 14 PIMs.

As he transitions to life in North America, it may be prudent for the Islanders to start Tsyplakov on the third line next to Jean-Gabriel Pageau and Simon Holmstrom. With Pierre Engvall and Anders Lee destined for middle-six roles this upcoming season, New York could have a flexible roster that could change in each game.

Islanders Sign Maxim Tsyplakov To Entry-Level Contract

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May 17, 7:48 a.m.: It’s actually the maximum $950K entry-level cap hit for Tsyplakov, per CapFriendly. He’ll earn a base salary of $885K and a $95K signing bonus, plus up to $1MM in potential performance bonuses. If assigned to the minors, he’ll earn an $82.5K salary.

May 16, 2:07 p.m.: Tsyplakov’s deal will carry a $925K cap hit, Sears reports.

May 16, 1:50 p.m.: This summer’s top international free agent is off the board early. The Islanders will be Maxim Tsyplakov’s NHL home next season, announcing Thursday that they’ve signed him to a one-year, entry-level contract. Financial terms were not disclosed.

Tspylakov, 25, was drawing interest from the majority of the league. However, the Islanders weren’t one of the teams specifically linked to the Russian forward. As recently as this week, it was expected the Canadiens would make a strong pitch for his services. The Maple Leafs were also connected to Tsyplakov during the season.

It doesn’t appear to be a rushed or out-of-left-field signing, though. Islanders European scout Jim Paliafito has been talking to Tsypalakov’s camp as far back as February, reports Ethan Sears of the New York Post. Sears adds the Islanders weren’t the only New York team with interest – the Rangers were also in talks with Tsyplakov as well as Montreal and Toronto.

The 6’3″ winger has spent parts of seven seasons in the Kontinental Hockey League with Spartak Moscow but was an extremely late bloomer. Tsyplakov, a Moscow native, didn’t even lock down a top-six role until this season.

It was a defining campaign for Tsyplakov, though, one that made him the top international UFA on the market with months to go in the season. The gifted sniper served as an alternate captain for Spartak and scored 31 goals in 65 games, ranking fourth in the KHL in goals and second on his team behind former Canucks and Sharks winger Nikolay Goldobin.

As he’s such a late bloomer, though, there will be rightful concerns about how well his offense can translate to North America, especially with no previous experience on this side of the Pacific. His season ended somewhat unceremoniously as well, limited to two goals and two assists in 11 postseason games as Spartak was dispatched by eventual champion Metallurg Magnitogorsk in the second round of the Gagarin Cup Playoffs.

Tsyplakov had also only recorded double-digit goal totals in a KHL season once before, scoring 10 times in 63 games last season. The Islanders will hope his size helps translate his scoring success last season to the NHL somewhat, although he really shouldn’t be counted upon for more than 20-30 points next year if he makes the team out of camp.

With so much interest elsewhere, it’s hard to imagine Tsyplakov accepting an assignment to AHL Bridgeport if he doesn’t crack the opening night roster. In that event, expect him to end up on the trade block or on waivers for a mutual contract termination to head back to Russia or get a shot from another NHL team.

Tsyplakov’s signing continues an active offseason already for the Isles, who have scoured the international market. They picked up Swedish goalie Marcus Högberg to serve as improved depth behind Ilya Sorokin and Semyon Varlamov next season, and they’re also expected to bring over Swiss defenseman Andrea Glauser from the National League.

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