Leafs interested in signing star Russian winger from KHL: report

The Toronto Maple Leafs may be getting an early start to their offseason additions.

According to a new report from The Athletic’s Joshua Kloke, the Leafs are among more than a dozen NHL teams interested in signing KHL forward Maxim Tsyplakov 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 last week over Zoom for close to an hour.

According to Kloke, topics of conversation during the meeting included “Tsyplakov’s positional fit with the Leafs and whether he could play centre next season.” The two parties also discussed Toronto as a potential living destination.

Now in the final season of his KHL contract, the Spartak Moscow winger, known for using his size and physicality to drive plays, has 30 goals and 45 points over 58 games this season.

And since his club is currently in contention for the playoffs, NHL teams interested in the 6-foot-3 forward will likely get a larger sample size of what he can do in pressure situations over the weeks to come.

Should Tsyplakov decide to make the leap to the NHL next season, he would be eligible for an entry-level contract with a base salary of $925,000.

With 47 contracts on their roster and virtually no cap space left, the Leafs are in no position to make a signing under their current make-up. Then again, it’s unlikely that they renew every single one of their expiring contracts in the offseason, so they will possibly be freeing up some space.

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