Greed or lack of need? Five KHL clubs with a minimum of off-season transfers
Aug 25, 2023 10:00 am UTC Audio Version: Your browser does not support the audio element.
Lokomotiv was looking for experience in the market, Torpedo for youngsters, Ak Bars just assembled tough strikers.
“Where are the transfers?!” – The insistent demand of the Ufa fans to the leadership of Salavat Yulaev has become one of the most exploited memes in the KHL. Meanwhile, over the summer, the Yulaevites signed 10 new hockey players to contracts. Some clubs in the league have shown themselves to be much less interested players on the market.
“AK Bars”
They came: Dmitry Yashkin, Damir Zhafyarov, Evgeny Svechnikov
The current runner-up did not lack for qualified attackers, but he did not turn away from hockey players, in whom his former employers lost faith. First, Kazan took advantage of the sale at SKA, where he became disillusioned with Dmitry Yashkin and Damir Zhafyarov, and then intercepted Evgeny Svechnikov, who was desperate to fight for a spot in the NHL sun.
Ak Bars Main Transfer:
Bilyaletdinov was bombarded with money. Will Ak Bars win the fourth Gagarin Cup?
At the same time, Ak Bars did not in any way strengthen its most problematic line. The team’s defense did not arouse admiration in the previous season, and in the new one it only weakened – experienced Vasily Tokranov and Dinar Khafizullin left the team.
“Locomotive”
They came: Alexey Bereglazov, Martin Gernat, Yaroslav Likhachev
“We have experienced beginners with the psychology of a winner,” Igor Nikitin said at a recent press conference. Obviously, the Lokomotiv coach had three-time Gagarin Cup winner Alexei Bereglazov and Olympic bronze medalist Martin Gernat in mind. The defenders are of excellent age (the first is not yet 30 years old, the second has just turned) and they will certainly bring confidence to the team. It seems that the person responsible for the excitement will be Yaroslav Likhachev, who returned from the rental. At Blinov’s tournament, the 21-year-old striker scored a lacrosse goal, an atypical stunt for Lokomotiv, which is strictly on the rails.
“Torpedo”
They came: Alexey Melnichuk, Arseniy Varlakov, Ivan Vorobyov, Kirill Maksimov, Danil Savunov Torpedo plays its own game and, while some clubs complain about the departure of great legionnaires, they are investing in young Russians. Of the five newcomers, only Alexey Melnichuk, who returned to Russia last season from the AHL, is widely known. The rest of the names don’t mean anything to anyone except hockey gurus, but who would be surprised if within a couple of weeks we’d be pronouncing them with enthusiasm.
More about the originality of “Torpedo”:
“Instead of balloons and empty races.” Non-standard Larionov prepares Torpedo for the KHL season
CSKA
Incoming: Ivan Fedotov
Hmm… Well, what can I say? If we use the stable expression “selection of points”, then in the CSKA transfer report there will be only one point. More specifically, a question mark. After all, it is still not entirely clear whether Ivan Fedotov will take part in the KHL season, and if so, whether he will be able to help the army team after a long downtime. The latter is not very significant: who does not have enough heart to sympathize with the club in this situation and not with the player.
“Siberia”
They came: Fyodor Gordeev, Dinar Khamidullin, Andy Andreoff, Pavel Gogolev, Sergei Dubakin, Artyom Mikheev
Novosibirsk loudly proclaimed a change in playstyle, but from a staff standpoint, they weren’t so fundamentally updated. David Nemirovsky’s team plans to follow Torpedo’s lead in promoting offensive hockey; apparently, in order to declassify Larionov’s schemes, Artyom Mikheev was lured from Nizhny Novgorod. In addition, Fyodor Gordeev and Pavel Gogolev gladly came to the American coach; both were tested abroad.
Who else is home?
to native lands. Eight hockey players who returned to Russia from North America
The most striking transfer is that of Andy Andreoff, who already managed to put up a fight in the preseason. But the forwards of “Siberia” are still not enough, especially taking into account the extended season of 68 games.
