The Minnesota Wild added another low-cost swing on Wednesday, signing forward Max Shabanov to a one-year, $1.6 million deal for the 2026-27 season.
Shabanov lands in Minnesota one day after becoming an unrestricted free agent, with the New York Islanders opting not to give him a qualifying offer. The 25-year-old is coming off his first NHL season, one spent mostly in the Islanders’ middle six.
In 44 games with New York, Shabanov put up five goals and 18 points while finishing with a minus-5 rating. He averaged 13:41 of ice time per game.
The big question with Shabanov is health. He battled multiple multi-game injuries last season and wound up missing nearly half the year, which is the main reason his stock is where it is. But with the salary number Minnesota committed, the Wild are taking on a manageable amount of risk.
There is still some upside here if Shabanov can stay on the ice. He’s young enough to matter, and his production in Russia suggests real offensive touch.
Over the 2023-24 and 2024-25 seasons with the KHL’s Traktor Chelyabinsk, he scored 48 goals and piled up 117 points in 129 games. For a player in his mid-20s, that kind of scoring is hard to ignore.
Unless Minnesota moves more money out, this looks like one of the final additions of a quiet offseason. After bringing in Blake Coleman and Olli Määttä from the Calgary Flames earlier in the day, the Wild are left with roughly $795,000 in cap space once Shabanov’s contract is accounted for.
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Flames Just Made A Veteran Trade That Says Plenty About The Plan
The Wild and Flames completed a veteran-flavored swap that reshapes the back end of Minnesotas roster and the long-term balance of its draft cupboard. Calgary is retaining half of Blake Colemans $4.9 million cap hit, and the trade also sends a package of future picks to the Flames, underlining that Minnesota is paying for proven help rather than waiting on younger, less certain options.
There is also a contract wrinkle that helps explain how the deal came together. Jake Middletons modified no-trade clause kicked in July 1, and Calgary was not on his 15-team no-trade list, which opened the door for the move once the sides started working through the details. For the Wild, the immediate question now is less about the mechanics of the trade and more about how quickly the new pieces settle into a lineup that has been looking for steadier, more seasoned answers. [Read more 🡒]
Bill Guerin Just Put Wild Fans In A Familiar Trade Bind
Bill Guerins summer approach has been pretty familiar for Wild fans: stay patient, keep shopping, and walk away when the price gets too steep. The Minnesota general manager said the club has backed out of some trade discussions after the asking prices climbed beyond what it was willing to pay, even as other talks simply failed to line up. For a roster that still has areas to address, it is the kind of stance that can sound prudent one day and maddening the next.
Guerin also made clear there is still time left to find help, which is why the market remains worth watching for Minnesota. The Wild have options, but they are operating in that uneasy middle ground between wanting to improve and refusing to overextend, a spot that often defines how this front office handles business. For now, the question is whether patience leads to the right fit or just another round of near misses. [Read more 🡒]