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Patrick Roy and his Islanders played a nasty trick on the Canadiens
According to persistent rumors, the Canadiens and Kent Hughes were on the verge of reaching an agreement with a 25-year-old goal scorer.
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.
"It seems that Maxim Tsyplakov will not be lining up with the Habs next season after all. He has just signed a one-year deal with the Islanders.
It was nice chatting about it this morning!" - Marc-Olivier Beaudoin
It was nice chatting about it this morning!" - Marc-Olivier Beaudoin
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.
"News: The New York Islanders announced today that they have signed Maxim Tsyplakov to a one-year, entry-level contract." - New York Islanders
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 | ||
MAI 16 | 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 % |
| List of polls | ||