After a successful 2023-24 campaign in the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) with Spartak Moscow, when he scored 31 goals, Russian forward Maxim Tsyplakov moved to the NHL, signing with the New York Islanders. In his debut season, he had ten goals and 35 points, with a plus-4 rating. In this translated interview, originally appearing on the Winners agency’s website, the forward talked about his first year in the league, shared some thoughts about the team, and reflected on the new season after signing a new two-year contract with the Isles.
**You can read the original interview in Tsyplakov’s native Russian on the Winners agency’s website here**
First Year With the New York Islanders
The forward wasn’t overly satisfied with his debut season with the Islanders. “I would probably rate my season a C-,” he says. “Many things didn’t go well, and at times I didn’t feel very good. The most important thing was to get playing time and truly earn my spot on the roster to show my best qualities. Of course, I really wanted to score more goals and take part in key moments, like playing 5-on-6 or 6-on-5 in the final minutes of the matches. I will try to achieve all this in the new season.”
Tsyplakov scored a goal in his NHL debut. It was a great achievement. “Honestly, the game was a bit hectic; it was hard to concentrate,” the forward recalls. “Everything happened on emotions; I tried to make a lot of physical plays and be everywhere, but that’s not really the right approach. I should have acted more thoughtfully and calmly, but I wasn’t stressed. I’m glad I managed to score about five minutes before the end of the game; even I was shocked. Of course, I wanted to score in my first game and thought about it, but the main thing was just to start and show myself. I had a flood of emotions; you could say I didn’t really understand what was happening at first, and then I was overwhelmed again when Utah tied the game a couple of minutes before the end. It was a bit disappointing because I wanted my goal to be the game-winner.”
Maxim Tsyplakov, New York Islanders (Jess Starr/The Hockey Writers)
After that, in the first two months of the regular season, Tsyplakov had two goal droughts lasting nine and 11 games respectively. It must have been hard. “I just tried to play more for the team, to make assists,” Tsyplakov says, reflecting on those hard times. “Basically, I played as I usually did in Russia. As they say, help others, and they will help you back. There were moments when we had 2-on-1 breakouts or something similar, and I wasn’t sought at the empty net, so I gave more passes. The guys finished those plays, and I had a fair number of assists. I didn’t dwell on not scoring. I thought if I work hard, the goals would come. Of course, when droughts were long, I started blaming myself, but then I pushed these thoughts away and kept working. Through effort and persistence, everything comes.”
His scoring draughts, however, made it a bit harder for Tsyplakov. “You always want to score every game, but I understand it’s not always possible,” he confirms. “I wouldn’t say I’m exactly a sniper, but scoring goals is obviously enjoyable. But I also get pleasure from making passes that suit a teammate, to an empty net or the like. My grandfather told me that an assist is more valuable than a goal — when you do everything and the teammate only needs to finish it.”
Related: Projecting the New York Islanders’ 2025-26 Lineup
Before the Christmas break, Tsyplakov’s line with Brock Nelson and Kyle Palmieri was one of the most productive in the league, even ranking in the top five alongside players like Nikita Kucherov, Brandon Hagel, and Brayden Point. “I don’t know how it came along, but maybe we just complemented each other well,” the forward explains. “I could hold the puck, find the pass, and the guys finished the plays excellently. I played my style, and maybe at first it was a bit unusual for them, because in Russia we often play through puck possession, looking for a second tempo. I took advantage of that, so sometimes you cut off a player, and they’re already going 2-on-1 or 3-on-2 and come up with something.”
“Probably in the first half of the season, we were a bit lucky — guys poked the puck in front of the net or scored off deflections. Not all goals were 100% guaranteed. But it was comfortable playing with them. Lou Lamoriello and Patrick Roy immediately told me I would be playing with them, but honestly, I didn’t quite believe it until the end. I didn’t play with them in preseason, but then they put me with them, and we started playing together from the first game of the season.”
Last season, Tsyplakov was suspended for three games, and once his ban was over, he didn’t play right away. However, the forward understood the situation. “I only heard from interviews where he said we had a winning streak, and how could he sit someone when all the guys play well, follow assignments, and act correctly,” he says. “That’s what leads to wins. And when we lost, then I was brought back into the lineup. I took it calmly because I understood that you have to earn your spot, and even mid-season you have to prove that you deserve it.”
The forward recorded 35 points (10 goals and 25 assists) and ended with a plus-4 rating. He was, however, a bit hard on himself. “35 points, of course, is not bad, but I’d like to score more and convert more chances, as well as create them. Probably 25 assists are my personal record for a season; I don’t think that happened before. But there’s still work to do, I’ve learned lessons, and now I need to carry them into the new season.”
He also needed some adaptation from the KHL. “First of all, preseason training is completely different here,” Tsyplakov explains. “They gather us for camp 3–4 weeks before and immediately start training at full intensity. The workouts are hard and exhausting, plus games — sometimes every other day or even two in a row in preseason. Those who don’t play train a lot. It’s better to play than to train — that’s always how it’s been. As for defensemen, everything is definitely more intense here; they give less space than in the KHL before. So you have to use your size and look for open space. Defenders here are tougher: you get hit pretty hard in the lower back — cross-checks and stick hits on the back are common. But over time, I adapted, got used to it, and started playing a bit differently.”
His first season in the NHL was, of course, memorable. And he knows what memories he will bring with him. “Of course, I will always remember my first goal in the first game — it’s like a dream, like some kind of sleepwalking,” Tsyplakov confirms. “But the season is long, many things happen, and sometimes you don’t have time to remember everything because you need to prepare for the next game. So it’s hard to single out something specific. Of course, you can also include Alexander Ovechkin’s record. And personally, the main thing is to take the positive, but not forget the negative: analyze it after games and get better every day.
Offseason and Preparation
With the preseason going on, Tsyplakov and other players just finished the hard part of the offseason. “We stayed in America for about a month after the season, just resting here,” he says about his summer. “At the end of May, we returned to Moscow. I went on a short trip to Europe with friends to watch football. By early June, when I flew back, I started training. You could say I trained and prepared for the season all summer. I hope all that work wasn’t in vain.”
Maxim Tsyplakov, New York Islanders (Jess Starr/The Hockey Writers)
“Regarding preparation, everything has changed drastically compared to previous years. I still don’t fully understand how exactly you need to prepare for NHL seasons, but I try to distribute the workload properly. I used to train with Leonid Dmitrienko, with whom I worked for about ten years, but this year he didn’t hold the training camp. So I worked with other guys, Alexander Romanov, Mikhail Sergachev, Kirill Marchenko, and Dmitry Voronkov. We went on ice together, trained in the gym together, but everyone had their own program. We’ll see how it goes, but right now, I feel good, so everything should work out great.”
This offseason, Tsyplakov signed a new contract with the Isles. “I’m happy with the contract; no complaints.” However, the situation had its intricacies due to a possible arbitration. “There were options,” he says. “This was all decided by me and my agents. They also helped and advised me. But the final answer was mine. So even before arbitration, I could have pushed for one year and negotiated another on salary. An agent’s role is to listen to the player’s demands, listen to the club’s demands, and find common ground so that everyone is satisfied. I think Ryan Barnes (agent from Quartexx agency) did a good job, and I’m grateful to him for that.”
Tsyplakov now looks fully adapted to his new country. “The first year was an adjustment period, you could say. We more or less figured out what and how: we found everything ourselves, understood where to go, where to shop, and so on. Now it’s the second year, and I think it will be more interesting: we’ll explore new places and discover things. Of course, in terms of English, it will be more comfortable because I think I significantly improved it last year, and my wife also speaks pretty well. We like everything here: it’s very beautiful, calm, people are kind and polite. It’s a suburb. I like to be out of the city, in the fresh air, so everything is great.”
Recently, Tsyplakov became a father for the second time. After the birth of his second child, Artemi Panarin had the best season of his career, recording 120 points. Some say moments like these really help players have a great season. “Of course, you think about the fact that this is your bread and that you need to achieve, but the main thing is to be physically fit: condition, endurance, and so forth,” the forward says.
“The season will show how well you prepared and how correctly you did everything. The most important is no injuries. That’s the key, stability. Everything else will come because of age and some experience accumulated; I think I’m approaching my peak. That’s always how it is. So, I expect a lot from myself and simply won’t make excuses about what could have been better. Of course, I don’t blame anyone; I always think everything depends on me. I expect a lot from myself. I want to get into the playoffs and earn ice time to play on the power play and penalty kill. I always want to play more. My expectations for the season are high.”
Looking Ahead — Plans for the New Season
Tsyplakov is a good fit for NHL teams, constantly battling for every inch of ice but still able to produce points. A good example for him may be the Edmonton Oilers’ Vasily Podkolzin. “The main thing is ice time. In Edmonton with [Leon] Draisaitl and [Connor] McDavid, different players play, and they constantly rotate,” he says. “You don’t have fixed minutes; someone plays well, and they get more time. Even if you are on the fourth line but play on the power play or penalty kill and get your 15–20 minutes, it doesn’t matter which line you’re on.”
“Also, I don’t know yet how things will go, who will play with whom, but I think you can find good chemistry with anyone. I know I can improve partners’ play with my on-ice vision and puck handling, like it was with [Marc] Gatcomb and [Kyle] MacLean when I played on the fourth line. We played well. I think it’s good that I’m a versatile player and can play not just one position but show my best qualities in different roles. The main thing is to be useful. I can play both on the first and fourth line; what’s important is to get ice time and show my skills.”
With the preseason ending soon, it’s time for the players to gear up and think about the upcoming campaign. “No expectations, just need to work, prove stability, and show that I’m better. This is normal competition. And then it will be clear: everyone has different roles and different people. That’s normal. When there is competition, it’s good.” And this is certainly the kind of competition Tsyplakov and the Islanders need for a strong start to 2025-26.
