Islanders in no rush to sign Max Tsyplakov yet

It’s been three weeks since July 1, when Islanders general manager Mathieu Darche said he was “very close” to locking up all of his restricted free agents, with no issues expected. 

Alexander Romanov already had signed a five-year contract extension by that point, and Darche proved to be correct about Emil Heineman, Simon Holmstrom and Marc Gatcomb, all of whom signed shortly thereafter.

Max Tsyplakov, though, still stands as seemingly the lone unfinished piece of business between Darche and a well-deserved vacation, with the Russian wing having filed for arbitration two weeks ago and no settlement having been reached since. 

While the NHLPA has not announced hearing dates for any of the 11 players in the league who filed for arbitration, the window for those hearings opened Sunday and runs through Aug. 4, so a resolution — in the form of arbitration or otherwise — could come down at any point. 

Generally speaking, it’s quite rare for these situations to get as far as an arbitration hearing, which both sides almost always want to avoid, as it can result in bruised feelings. Of 14 players who filed for arbitration last summer, just one, Nashville defenseman Spencer Stastney, had a hearing. 

If it were to get that far, it’s worth noting the arbitrator could only award Tsyplakov a one-year deal, as at 26 years old, he’s one year away from being an unrestricted free agent.

The Islanders also could walk away if Tsyplakov is awarded $4.85 million or more, which would result in his becoming an unrestricted free agent, though that would be an extraordinary settlement for a player who had 35 points as an NHL rookie last season. 

The reasons for delay are likely twofold. First, deadlines tend to spur action in the NHL, and the deadline here, which is to say the hearing date, has not yet come.

Second, Tsyplakov became a father Saturday, and it’s safe to presume that is taking priority over pending negotiations. 

The Islanders currently have about $4 million in cap space left, not including Matthew Schaefer’s as-yet-unsigned entry-level deal, so this is not about a cap crunch. 

Tsyplakov had an up-and-down rookie season, showing himself to be an effective contributor while struggling to score at the same level he had in the KHL and bouncing between the second and third lines for much of the second half.

Evolving Hockey projects his next deal to come in at two years with a $2.478 million AAV, which appears to be a solid ballpark estimate. 

While Tsyplakov’s agent in Russia said in February that he was working toward a figure of $3 million annually, Tsyplakov quickly shot that down.

By way of comparison, the Islanders also just gave Holmstrom — who scored double the goals Tsyplakov did last season and is two years younger, also with arbitration rights — $3.6 million annually over the course of a two-year deal. 

There is no reason to assume this would reach the point of Tsyplakov being moved, but Darche already has shown a willingness to set hard lines in negotiations. The general manager repeatedly said he wanted to re-sign Noah Dobson, but when the defenseman’s camp did not come down from a number beyond what Darche was comfortable with, the Islanders pivoted and dealt him to Montreal on the eve of the draft.