For a team that struggles to land top-flight NHL free agents, the New York Islanders have found a way to land the top European free agent in back-to-back offseasons.
Last year, it was Spartak’s Maxim Tsyplakov, who had eight-plus suitors, including the Toronto Maple Leafs and New York Rangers.
This summer, it was Traktor’s Maxim Shabanov, with the Rangers, Philadelphia Flyers, Vegas Golden Knights, and Utah Mammoth involved.
Is there more to the story than just the Islanders having established a Russian base on Long Island with Semyon Varlamov, Ilya Sorokin, and Alexander Romanov?
Yes, yes, there is.