"When he was in the playoffs against a former player of mine, [Alexander] Radulov, and they lost in the final. But he was playing really well. I mean, he's a small player, but I feel like he doesn't know he's small. So that's pretty intriguing for me, and I think for everyone here, because we're curious to see him, how he's going to bring his skills and everything."
"I mean, things will change. I mean, I almost regret telling you, because I feel like you know you might look bad the next day because things might change so overnight, you never know."
"But like I said, I mean, it's just a start, you know?"
Maxim Shabanov arrives from the KHL and will have an opportunity to play on the NY Islanders' top line alongside Bo Horvat and Jonathan Drouin. The organization views his skill set as fitting a top-six role, with playoff performance signaling strong offensive instincts. Concerns center on his 5'8" frame and whether he can withstand NHL physicality and the longer schedule. Early rookie-camp reports noted notable physicality and positive signs. Coaching staff plans to test multiple line combinations through training camp and preseason, and initial assignments remain subject to change based on evaluation.
Read at Eyes On Isles
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]