Islanders sign KHL winger Maxim Tsyplakov

Can score, and also likes to hit.The New York Islanders interrupted your sleepy Thursday to not only sign a guy but announce it. (It’s true! Well, maybe not the first part...knowing Lou Lamoriello, maybe they signed him three months ago and are only announcing it now.)

The guy in question is winger Maxim Tsyplakov, who is coming off a career year in the KHL at age 25, and reportedly had several NHL teams interested in his services — free agents from Europe of his age are free doubts, costing little against the cap since they still require an ELC.

There is reason for optimism — hey, a free agent with some upside, no assets lost, and at ELC cap hit — as well as caution, since he’s coming from a…