A skilled Traktor winger joins the fold.
The New York Islanders announced two more signings on Wednesday, one of them a fairly routine RFA re-signing (though of a new Islander), the other of a rather intriguing KHL import.
Emil Heineman gets a two-year extension for a $1.1M annual value. No surprise there for an RFA winger acquired from the Montreal Canadiens along with the two first-round picks in the Noah Dobson trade.
But then the headliner came, an ELC deal with the sought-after 24-year-old KHL winger Maxim Shabanov. The left-shooting Chelyabinsk Traktor star eclipsed a point per game (67 points in 65 games) in the KHL last season, which followed 50 points in 64 games in 2023-24. If you’ve seen any of his highlights, you know that he has some schoolyard moves not just limited to his considerable shootout prowess.
He’s only 5’8”, which is the primary caution. He’ll have to learn the NHL game and the North American rink, and surely there will be opponents looking to welcome him to the NHL with crushing hits. But if he can figure that out…intrigue awaits.
It’ll be interesting to see him joining the Isles’ Russian contingent, including big (and fellow Maxim) Tsyplakov and the long-term re-signed Alex Romanov.
Maxim Shabanov is a small but skilled/shifty forward with high end hands that allow him to create space to get in tight spaces around the net. He is known around the KHL for his stick handling, speed and agility. Certainly would be a nice add for the #Isles
Tsyp and Shab pic.twitter.com/XwtVFCf20P
— IslesCave (@IslesCave) June 15, 2025
Such a Shabanov kinda night fellas pic.twitter.com/DmFp77Zjcj
— MF Isles (@MF1sles) July 3, 2025
Shabanov will turn 25 in October, so his ELC at this age is a one-year deal.
Between him and the signing of Jonathan Drouin, there will be a skill infusion up front if they both pan out. How Mathieu Darche’s first month moves work out is up for debate, but this has not been a status quo offseason.