Max Shabanov’s skill level is obvious from watching just a few minutes of him at practice.

The Russian winger can skate. He can manipulate defenders. He can pull moves out of his bag . It’s obvious how he became a point-per-game player last season in the KHL, when he scored 23 goals with 44 assists for Traktor Chelyabinsk.

What’s going to determine whether he can approach those heights in North America, though, is everything else: His play away from the puck, his defensive zone coverage, his ability to withstand NHL physicality and get through the grind of an 82-game season.

Shabanov, whose English has gotten better even in the short time he’s been on Long Island, was peppering coach Patrick Roy with questions about the defensive zone just the other day. When Roy asked why, Shabanov r

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