The New York Islanders Land Top European Free Agent

While the offseason hasn't officially started as the Stanley Cup Playoffs are still ongoing, the New York Islanders are starting to make improvements. The Islanders have signed Russian forward Maxim Tsyplakov to an entry-level contract where the salary will be somewhere near the $950,000 maximum.

Tsyplakov was one of the top free agents coming over and was ranked as the best free agent in Europe by Daily Faceoff. According to The Athletic, there were twelve teams interested in signing the KHL Star with the Islanders coming out victorious. The 6"3 winger has a ton of skill to pair with his size and strength, finishing fourth in the KHL in hits.

New York Islanders Sign Top FA Maxim Tsyplakov

The signing is an incredible move by the Islanders as they land a player who can have a massive impact in 2024-25 on an Entry Level deal. After scoring 31 goals with 16 assists in 65 games last season, the Islanders have to be excited with his offensive ability. If all goes well with Tsyplakov, he should make the team out of camp and could be an impactful player in the bottom six.

Tsyplakov has spent his career as a winger in the KHL but, the Islanders are curious about his ability to potentially move to center. Regardless of the position he plays, this has the chance to be a great signing for the Islanders as they needed to add production to the bottom six.

After a long season with a coaching change and up-and-down results, you have to imagine that we may see some big changes coming to the Islanders. The Islanders have made the postseason five of the past six seasons but, after back-to-back seasons in the Eastern Conference Finals, they've missed the playoffs and failed to advance past the first round twice. The Islanders will certainly look to add scoring threats to become a more consistent team.

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