The Toronto Maple Leafs are among the four teams interested in signing KHL forward Maxim Shabanov, according to New York Post’s Ethan Sears.
The other teams reportedly interested in him are the New York Islanders, Nashville Predators, and Utah Hockey Club.
This is Maxim Shabanov’s game, and we are here to enjoy it. pic.twitter.com/gsjMXlQpVp
— KHL (@khl_eng) October 12, 2024
Shabanov, 24, is in the midst of his fourth season with Chelyabinsk Traktor where he has emerged as one of their most relied upon offensive weapons. He is coming off a breakout season in 2023-24 where he led the team in scoring with 50 points (25 goals and 25 assists) in 64 games played. That success carried over into the playoffs where he finished with a team-leading 11 points (three goals and eight assists), one ahead of former Leaf Semyon Der-Arguchintsev.
So far this season, Shabanov once again sits at the top as Traktor’s scoring leader with 17 points (seven goals and 10 assists) in 14 games played. Standing at 5’8″ and weighing 157 pounds, he is also a versatile player who can play both at centre and on the wing.
The Leafs have had a mixed bag when it comes to signing players out of Russia since the start of the Auston Matthews era. There have certainly been some success stories in Ilya Mikheyev and Nikita Zaitsev, while others like Igor Ozhiganov and Alexander Barabanov never quite found their footing in Toronto. These past few months have also seen the team able to successfully bring over two of their prospects from Russia in Nikita Grebenkin and Artur Akhtyamov.
This is the second time this year that the Leafs were reportedly interested in signing an undrafted forward from the KHL as they were among the teams eying Maxim Tsyplakov. They were in the running up until he was snatched up by the Islanders in May, where he has since gone on to score in his NHL debut.
🔥 Maxim Shabanov scores lacrosse-style goal! pic.twitter.com/9IuJcW9n2Y
— KHL (@khl_eng) January 28, 2024
Shabanov’s offensive production of late is about on par with Tsyplakov’s so it is conceivable that the former could step into the NHL and make an immediate impact. Of course, the big difference between the two players is their size and there will be plenty of people concerned about Shabanov’s smaller frame should he make the move to North America. But given the Leafs’ lack of depth at the left wing there is certainly an opportunity for him to be a factor on the left wing.
