Indeed, Maxim Tsyplakov was met by Kent Hughes, and everything seemed to indicate that he would join the Canadiens.
However, it didn't go as planned. The Russian forward, who scored 31 goals in 65 games this season in the KHL, has just signed with the New York Islanders.
Personally, I'm not very surprised by this announcement. Kent Hughes showed interest, but I don't see why he would add a player to the team without really knowing if he would play in Montreal or Laval.
Recall that the GM turned to the KHL to acquire Philippe Maillet last year, and he played the entire season in Laval. Maillet had more points than Tsyplakov in the KHL.
As for his contract, the forward seems confident with a one-season agreement.
Tsyplakov could be a very good acquisition for the Islanders, but I imagine Kent Hughes had his reasons for not offering him a better deal.
POLL | ||
16 MAI | 248 ANSWERS Patrick Roy and his Islanders played a nasty trick on the Canadiens Would you have liked Kent Hughes to be able to sign Maxim Tsyplakov? | ||
Yes | 127 | 51.2 % |
No | 121 | 48.8 % |
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