The Islanders’ pursuit of Maxim Tsyplakov began around the New Year, when they — along with a number of other teams — sent a scout to Russia to watch Tsyplakov play for Spartak Moscow.
The scout in question, Jim Paliafito, just watched at first. Eventually, he made contact with Tsyplakov’s camp, leading the recruiting effort that culminated in the Islanders signing the 25-year-old to a one-year deal last week, beating out approximately 15 other teams.
“The main thing is the society, the social life there will be different from Russia and the foreign language,” Tsyplakov told The Post, using an interpreter, in his first interview since signing. “It may take some time to get used to it.”
Tsyplakov does not personally know the Islanders’ trio of Russian nationals (Ilya Sorokin, Semyon Varlamov, Alexander Romanov), but said he has spoken with Romanov for advice.
