Team Are 'Poking Around' on Islanders' Maxim Tsyplakov

Maxim Tsyplokov, NY Islanders forward, awaits a faceoff

The New York Islanders were thrilled in the summer of 2024 when they won the right to land undrafted Russian scorer Maxim Tsyplakov. The physical forward made a solid transition to the NHL, recording 10 goals and 25 assists for 35 points in 77 games last season with 140 hits during his rookie campaign. He was re-signed to a two-year, $4.5 million deal to avoid arbitration this past offseason.

But now, he's landed in coach Patrick Roy's doghouse due to his struggles in his sophomore season, and teams around the league have him on their radar, according to insider Elliotte Friedman, calling him a name to "keep an eye on":

I’m surprised at Tsyplakov (being out there), I think there’s a good player there. He had a strong NHL debut in 2024-25, but struggled to start this year and was squeezed out of the now-deeper Long Island lineup. Thankfully, Patrick Roy said Bo Horvat’s injury isn’t serious, so there may be a short window for Tsyplakov re-establish himself, but I heard other teams are poking around.

The 6'3", 204-pound forward has played just 20 of the Islanders' 32 games, recording just a single goal and no assists. He's received just 9:29 average ice time per night, and has been a healthy scratch on numerous occasions.

He was recently bumped from the lineup once again by Jean-Gabriel Pageau's return. Pageau and Anders Lee were thought to be trade candidates before this season began on the Island, but with the team off to a terrific first couple of months of the season, the Isles are firmly in the playoff hunt. They are 3rd in the Metropolitan Division at 18-11-3, and have no intention at the moment of trading valuable veterans. Instead, Tsyplakov, now 27, has become a movable piece.

The Russian forward came onto the NHL radar big-time after a 2023-24 season in the KHL with Moscow Spartak, in which he recorded 31 goals in 65 games. He spent seven years there to start his hockey career.