While many wondered what awaited NHL star Maxim Shabanov after his lackluster 2025-26 season with the New York Islanders, the Minnesota Wild was already on a move.

The Islanders' refusal to extend a qualifying offer to Shabanov allowed the Wild to sign him to a one-year, $1.6 million contract on July 2, 2026. However, this move didn’t really surprise Sportsnet journalist Elliotte Friedman.

“Minnesota had interest in him when he first came over,” he said during the July 6 episode of the 32 Thoughts Podcast. “It just...didn't work last year with the Islanders; the Wild are gonna give him a chance to play higher up in their roster.”

In KHL, Shabanov was a prolific scorer: 243 games, 80 goals, 181 points, before his NHL debut fell flat. With the Islanders, he only managed 5 goals and 18 points across 44 games.

But the Wild decided to focus on Shabanov’s KHL career, especially the stellar performance in the 2024-25 season, where he posted 23 goals and a career-high 67 points across 65 games, per Bring Me the News writer Will Ragatz.

“The $1.6 million price tag, which is notably more than a minimum salary, suggests the Wild believe Shabanov has significant upside and could potentially be a third-line winger next season,” Ragatz wrote.

All these hinted at what Friedman said about Minnesota’s interest in Shabanov. But while Friedman only did the 2+2, Wild’s General Manager, Bill Guerin finalized the 4.

How Minnesota's GM Pursued Shabanov Before the Islanders Let Him Go

According to The Hockey News writer Dylan Loucks, the Wild plans to fortify the team’s offense by putting Shabanov in a top-six role. And GM Guerin would’ve done this way sooner had he gotten the chance before July 2026.

"We actually tried to sign him coming out of Russia. There was a lot to be excited about with him because he's on the upward trajectory,” Guerin said, per Loucks. “We're very happy to have him now and excited to see what he can do on our team."

Having him for the 2026-27 season isn’t too bad either. The Russian star is now NHL-ready, has gotten the hang of his new life at a new place and can focus on his game solely.

Since he has a lot to prove.

Do you think he’ll be able to? Let us know in the comments.

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Written by

Deblina Roy