The Montreal Canadiens appear to be joining the long list of NHL teams interested in KHL forward Maxim Tsyplakov.
According to a Monday report from Sportsnet insider Elliotte Friedman, the Canadiens have recently met with the HC Spartak Moscow winger, who appears to be NHL-bound next season.
“There are a few teams looking at [Tsyplakov]. It looks like he’s getting closer to picking a team. And he could pick one this week,” said Friedman on Monday’s episode of the 32 Thoughts podcast. “One other team that met with Tysplakov was Montreal.”
Unfortunately for the Canadiens, the Boston Bruins and Toronto Maple Leafs are also reportedly interested in the 6-foot-3 sniper.
Back in February, The Athletic reported that the Leafs were among more than a dozen NHL teams interested in signing the KHL forward next season.
Tsyplakov’s agent Alexander Chernykh confirmed to The Athletic that he and the 25-year-old met with senior members of Leafs management over Zoom for close to an hour.
This past season in Moscow, Tsyplakov, known for using his size and physicality to drive plays, netted a career-high 31 goals and 47 points in 65 games. He added four points in 11 playoff games before his club was eliminated.
Should Tsyplakov decide to not re-sign in Russia and make the leap to North America next season, he would be eligible for an NHL entry-level contract with a base salary of $925,000.