Headlines

Go To MLB Trade Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Ruslan Iskhakov

Ruslan Iskhakov Signs Two-Year Deal With CSKA

at CDT | by 1 Comment

August 1: Iskhakov has signed a two-year deal with CSKA, the team announced on Telegram on Thursday. His NHL signing rights will still belong to the Islanders when his KHL contract expires in 2026.

July 6: After making his NHL debut late in the season and even getting into a playoff game, it seemed reasonable to think that winger Ruslan Iskhakov was in the Islanders’ plans for next season, at least as a player who could be called up early when injuries struck.  However, it doesn’t appear as if that will be an option as Championat’s Dmitry Storozhev relays that Iskhakov is one of six players expected to sign with CSKA Moscow of the KHL in the coming days.

The 23-year-old was a second-round pick (43rd overall) of the Isles back in 2018 despite being one of the smallest players in that draft class, coming in at just 5’7.  He spent two years at the University of Connecticut before turning pro, spending time in both Finland and Germany before coming back to North America for the 2022-23 campaign.

In his two seasons with AHL Bridgeport, Iskhakov was one of their most consistent scoring threats.  He finished third in rookie scoring in 2022-23 with 51 points in 69 games and nearly duplicated that last season, tallying 50 points in 69 games while adding an assist in his lone regular season appearance with New York.

That was enough for the Islanders to tender him a two-way qualifying offer last month worth a little under $814K at the NHL level.  However, it appears that Iskhakov will eschew that to return home where he hasn’t played since before being drafted.

Worth noting is that CSKA Moscow is under sanctions from the IIHF regarding their handling of Flyers goaltender Ivan Fedotov, including a two-year ban on transfers.  However, Storozhev notes that the State Duma adopted a bill that allows leagues to approve regulations regardless of international federations, effectively bypassing the IIHF sanctions which will allow Iskhakov and others to join CSKA in the near future once the bill is signed into law.

Metropolitan Notes: Capitals Defensemen, Martin, Ciernik

at CDT | by 1 Comment

The Capitals lost another defenseman yesterday when Trevor van Riemsdyk sustained an upper-body injury.  Head coach Spencer Carbery told reporters including Sammi Silber of The Hockey News that the veteran won’t be available for a must-win Game Four with Washington now on the brink of elimination.  While Vincent Iorio skated today, he was in a non-contact jersey and won’t be available tomorrow either.  However, Rasmus Sandin and Nick Jensen both took part in practice and haven’t been ruled out yet for Sunday’s contest.  If one of them can’t play, Hardy Haman Aktell will make his NHL playoff debut.  Carbery indicated that, for now, the team isn’t planning to recall Chase Priskie, the only defenseman left on an NHL contract, from AHL Hershey.

More from the Metropolitan:

  • The Islanders will be making a lineup change today up front as they look to stay alive versus Carolina. The team announced (Twitter link) that winger Matt Martin is unavailable due to a lower-body injury so winger Ruslan Iskhakov will make his NHL playoff debut.  Martin has been a long-time mainstay on New York’s fourth line but saw his production wane this season as he was limited to just eight points in 57 games.  Iskhakov, meanwhile, was a quality producer in the minors for the second straight year, notching 50 points in 69 games while recording an assist in his NHL debut earlier this month.  While the team will be missing some physicality with Martin out, Iskhakov might give them a better shot at scoring, an area of concern as they’re averaging just two goals per game through the first three games of the series.
  • Flyers prospect Alex Ciernik has inked a one-year deal with Nybro of Sweden’s Allsvenskan, per a team release. The 19-year-old was a fourth-round pick by Philadelphia last June, going 120th overall.  Ciernik had a decent showing this season in his first full professional campaign, notching 14 points in 26 games with Vasterviks along with three assists in six contests in a relegation series.  The Flyers hold Ciernik’s rights through June 1st, 2027 so they have plenty of time still before they need to sign him.

Islanders Recall Ruslan Iskhakov

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

The Islanders have recalled forward prospect Ruslan Iskhakov from AHL Bridgeport, per a team announcement. He’s expected to make his NHL debut tonight in the Isles’ final regular-season game against the Penguins.

New York selected Iskhakov, 23, in the second round of the 2018 draft. It’s been a steady climb for the undersized Russian center since then, as he’s now solidified himself as one of the organization’s top point producers at the minor league level.

He was always going to need to put up strong numbers to have a shot at cracking the NHL. At 5’8″ and 163 lbs, he’s far from being the strongest or most aggressive player on the ice, but he’s made up for it so far with great passing and skating. Drafted out of the Russian junior circuit, Iskhakov came to North America immediately after being drafted, spending two years with UConn. He notched 21 points in 32 games each season before the COVID-19 pandemic hit, causing him to return overseas. There, he made his professional debut with TPS in the Finnish Liiga in 2020-21, tying for third on the club with 38 points (10 goals, 28 assists) in 54 games on a team that featured Sabres netminder Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen as its backup. He stayed overseas the following year, transferring to Adler Mannheim of the Deutsch Eishockey Liga, where he was limited to 25 games but led the team in per-game scoring with 22 points.

His strong stints in European top-level hockey convinced the Isles to sign him to a two-year entry-level contract beginning last year, and he hasn’t disappointed. He’s combined for 35 goals and 101 points in 138 games with Bridgeport, leading the offensively challenged club in scoring this season. The Isles are holding star forward Mathew Barzal and a few others out of tonight’s matchup for rest, as they’re already locked into a first-round matchup with the Hurricanes.

Iskhakov is expected to skate on a line with captain Anders Lee and Jean-Gabriel Pageau in his NHL debut, per NHL.com’s Stefen Rosner. A pending RFA with arbitration rights, he’s in need of a new contract this summer. With Bridgeport eliminated from Calder Cup Playoff contention, Iskhakov could remain with the Isles during their playoff run.

East Notes: Forsling, Peeke, Iskhakov

at CDT | by 2 Comments

Panthers defenseman Gustav Forsling is one of Florida’s prominent pending unrestricted free agents.  The 27-year-old has gone from being a waiver claim in 2021 to a top-three defender and his price tag is set to jump considerably from his current $2.667MM AAV.  Keeping him, blueliner Brandon Montour, and forward Sam Reinhart will be difficult to do but Forsling told Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald that he has made it known that he wants to remain with Florida.  However, discussions on a new deal have been minimal so far.  Forsling has 22 points in 50 games so far this season while averaging over 22 minutes a night, putting him in a position to more than double his current cap hit.

Elsewhere in the Eastern Conference:

  • Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli wonders if the Blue Jackets might look at buying out defenseman Andrew Peeke this summer. Columbus has been shopping a blueliner for most of the season (Peeke and Adam Boqvist have been the players believed to be available) but has yet to find a suitable trade, likely because both blueliners have cap hits at or above $2.6MM.  Peeke struggled last season and has been a frequent healthy scratch this year (playing just 20 times), providing a weak return on a $2.75MM price so far.  He has two years left on his deal and if Columbus was to buy him out, they’d eat a $917K dead cap charge for the next four seasons.
  • Dan Milstein, the agent for Islanders prospect Ruslan Iskhakov, told Stefan Rosner of The Hockey News that contrary to speculation from earlier this week that had him linked to the KHL, the forward has yet to engage in discussions for next season. The 23-year-old is in his second AHL season and has been quite productive, collecting 34 points in 44 games this season after putting up 51 points in his rookie campaign in 2022-23 but is still looking for his first NHL opportunity.  Iskhakov is set to become a restricted agent with arbitration eligibility this summer.

Morning Notes: Iskhakov, Kucherov, Barkov

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

Islanders 2018 second-round pick Ruslan Iskhakov could receive his first NHL recall in the coming days as injuries continue to affect the team’s forwards, speculates Stefen Rosner of The Hockey News. He notes the team may prefer a more dynamic replacement at the top of the lineup for winger Pierre Engvall, who missed Tuesday’s 4-2 loss to the Jets with an upper-body injury.

Engvall is listed as day-to-day and remains on the active roster, but head coach Lane Lambert told reporters yesterday that he has no indication when the 27-year-old will resume skating (via Newsday’s Andrew Gross). The Swedish winger has disappointed with 5-9–14 in 41 games this season, the first of his seven-year, $21MM contract, and has been a healthy scratch twice.

28-year-old Hudson Fasching slotted into Engvall’s normal second-line role alongside Brock Nelson and Kyle Palmieri for the Winnipeg game and is projected to do so again tonight against the Blackhawks. However, the career AHLer/bottom-six depth piece isn’t a sustainable placeholder on a scoring line for a team maintaining playoff aspirations.

Iskhakov, 23, is undersized at 5-foot-8 and 165 lbs., but he’s adjusted well to the North American pro game since joining AHL Bridgeport in 2022. He’s been their best player this season by a wide margin, posting 13-19–32 in 36 games, leading the team in all major offensive categories. If Engvall’s absence from the lineup is long enough to warrant a stint on injured reserve, it would be prudent to give Iskhakov a brief NHL look in the final season of his entry-level contract.

More from the NHL as teams convene for Friday morning practices:

  • Lightning winger Nikita Kucherov’s meteoric season continued last night, recording three assists against the Wild to reach 500 in his career. He remains third among active Russian players in the stat, trailing future Hall-of-Famers Evgeni Malkin and Alex Ovechkin by a significant margin. While the Lightning’s .567 points percentage would have them out of a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference, Kucherov has been pulling his weight and then some this season. His 28 goals are fourth in the NHL, his 47 assists are second, and his 75 points in 44 games give him a slim lead on Avalanche star Nathan MacKinnon for the lead in the Art Ross Trophy race.
  • Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov was absent from morning skate today as he continues to rehab a lower-body injury, said the AP’s Colby Guy. Head coach Paul Maurice is expected to issue an update on Barkov’s status later Friday. The 28-year-old missed Wednesday’s overtime loss to the Red Wings, his fourth absence of the season. He missed a late October tilt against the Sharks with illness, while a knee injury kept him out of two games in November. His 35 assists in 40 games lead the Panthers.

Islanders Sign Ruslan Iskhakov

at CDT | by 1 Comment

Islanders prospect Ruslan Iskhakov has had an interesting journey over the last few years but he has secured his first NHL deal as CapFriendly reports (Twitter link) that the 21-year-old has signed a two-year, entry-level contract.  The deal carries a cap hit of $855K and an AAV of $925K.

The forward spent his draft-eligible season playing in Russia but had committed to playing in college at UConn just days before the draft.  As a result, he became subject to the four-year rule which meant that New York had until only next Wednesday to get him under contract even though his college days had already ended.

Iskhakov spent just two years in college before deciding to turn pro, signing with TPS Turku in Finland in 2020.  He was quite productive in the Liiga, notching 38 points in 54 games but once again opted for a change of scenery for this season when he decided to play with Adler Mannheim in Germany.  Iskhakov was similarly productive, albeit in limited action due to injury, as he put up seven goals and 15 assists in just 25 games, a good enough performance to convince the Islanders to sign him after he was granted his release from his German league contract earlier this month.

While he has spent two seasons in the pros overseas, it would be surprising to see Iskhakov jump to the NHL right away.  Instead, it’s quite likely he’ll start next season with Bridgeport of the AHL, allowing himself to get reacclimated to playing in North America.  But as a player who has been able to produce in good leagues overseas, he should become an intriguing recall option on a New York team that only finished 24th in goals scored this season.

Pro Hockey Rumors is not affiliated with National Hockey League, NHL or NHL.com

scroll to top