EAST MEADOW, NY -- On Wednesday night, the New York Islanders [http://thn.com/isles] landed KHL free agent Maxim Shabanov [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/new-york-islanders/latest-news/breaking-islanders-land-khl-forward-maxim-shabanov], a talented forward who had many teams trying to bring him in. According to his agent, he chose the Islanders because of the opportunity that Long Island presented, just as Maxim Tsyplakov did the previous summer. Here's what Islanders head coach Patrick Roy had to say about his 5'8 forward. "What I did like about him, he's a small forward, but he plays big," Roy said. "He goes into traffic, he goes into those areas. And what I also liked is the way that he played in his defensive zone coverage. "Sometimes you bring a guy in and you feel like the adjustment is going to be very difficult, but I don't think it will be for him, because he's capable of playing well defensively. I know Benoit Groulx was his coach, coached against him in junior. Benoit is a very structured person, so he did a really nice job with him. I'm pretty confident that the adjustment period for him is probably gonna be easier because if he doesn't score early on, at least he can rely on playing well defensively and give himself a bit of time, buy time to get his offense going." While we don't know exactly where Shabanov will play at 5-on-5, Roy thinks he can be a difference-maker on the power play, as he's a flank guy. In 65 games for the KHL's Traktor, Shabanov recorded 23 goals with 44 assists for 67 points. Expect him to start in a third-line role before working his way up. Stay updated with the most interesting Islanders stories, analysis, breaking news, and more! Tap the star to add us to your favorites on Google News [https://news.google.com/publications/CAAqBwgKMK-q0gsw7sXpAw/sections/CAQqEAgAKgcICjCvqtILMO7F6QMwpuDfCA?ceid=CA:en&oc=3] to never miss a story.
