Islanders Russian import could be on trade block: Friedman

The New York Islanders have had one heck of a resurgent season. Entering Friday night’s action, the Isles are one point off the Metro Division lead. That's a huge difference over last year's frustrating season.

That’s nothing to sneeze at. It’s been the product of several key players turning things around. For instance, Ilya Sorokin is back to his Vezina Trophy-caliber play. Anders Lee looks rejuvenated and reinvigorated. Bo Horvat, recent injury notwithstanding, is playing at career-best levels.

Meanwhile, the defense has been solid. Many of last season’s issues have seemingly faded away.

But amid the Islanders’ great season, one player has fallen through the cracks: Maxim Tsyplakov.

Last season, Tsyplakov joined the Islanders, coming off a solid season in the KHL. He translated his previous success into a decent rookie season in Long Island. He appeared in 77 games, scoring 10 goals and 35 points. That was hardly a bad season for a rookie.

This season, however, things have taken a nosedive for the 27-year-old. He’s got one goal in 20 games. That’s it. He’s slid down the depth chart, becoming a healthy scratch. He last played on December 7 against the Florida Panthers, seeing 11:22 of ice time.

That situation has prompted trade speculation regarding Tsyplakov. In his 32 Thoughts blog, insider Elliotte Friedman hinted that Tsyplakov could be on the trade block.

Friedman wrote:

“I’m surprised at Tsyplakov, I think there’s a good player there. He had a strong NHL debut in 2024-25, but struggled to start this year and was squeezed out of the now-deeper Long Island lineup. Thankfully, Patrick Roy said Bo Horvat’s injury isn’t serious, so there may be a short window for Tsyplakov re-establish himself, but I heard other teams are poking around.”

Two things to consider here. First, Tsyplakov didn’t just become a bad player overnight. Something must be affecting his game. Perhaps he’s dealing with an injury, who knows? The reality is that the Islanders have gotten deeper, and hence, pushed Tsyplakov down the trough.

The second issue lies with Bo Horvat’s injury. While the hope is that Horvat won’t be out for long, the injury creates an opening for Tsyplakov. As such, he could get another kick at the can. If he can reassert himself in the Islanders’ lineup, well, Patrick Roy will need to figure out how to give him more ice time.

In the meantime, the Islanders could be looking for a player or players who could be looking for a reset themselves. If that’s the case, then trading Tsyplakov at this point might not be such a bad idea.