Every year in the spring, the same thing happens: the few remaining teams fight for the main trophy, and those that have completed their performances begin to select their squad and coaching staff for the next season. Some, like Admiral, Amur and Neftekhimik, already during the season decided that the current coaches suited them and extended their contract. Some did so at the end of the season, such as Dynamo and Salavat Yulaev, while others managed to change coaches, such as CSKA or Avangard.
But not all KHL clubs have solved this difficult task in the current conditions. Let’s see which teams are still without a coach. And who can lead them?
“AK Bars”
After the seventh match of last year’s Gagarin Cup final and the fruitful work of the Kazan management in the summer, it seemed that Ak Bars were the main favorites, but no. The Kazan team failed in the season, after which Zinetula Bilyaletdinov announced that he was leaving the position of head coach of Ak Bars.
Zinetula Bilyaletdinov
Photo: Ilnar Tukhbatov, photo.khl.ru
Since then, Kazan is looking for a head coach, which has been delayed a bit for objective reasons. At first, Ak Bars was very interested in the tastiest morsel on the free agent market: Ilya Vorobyov. But he got a job at CSKA. Then there were rumors about his interest in Kudashov, but he still extended his contract with Dynamo. The situation became more complicated before our eyes and we had to make a feint to intercept Sibir’s Gatiyatulin. There is no official announcement yet, but it is a matter of time.
And for the future, we remember the words of Bilyaletdinov after his departure: “This work requires a lot of strength, emotions and, in general, great responsibility. “I think it will be better for me if I work in hockey, but in another format.” If it is a consulting position, then it will be interesting to see Kazan next season, because the previous time it ended with Bilyaletdinov having to go down from the box to the training bridge.
“Barys”
During the season there were resignations in many clubs in the league, but Barys managed to stand out: the club fired two head coaches. Neither Skabelka nor Mambetaliev impressed the management. This also affected the results: last place in the conference.
What happened to Barys during the season:
Exclusive
Why Skabelka was fired and what transfers didn’t happen. All the main things about the Barys season.
The main question when choosing a coach for Barys is what goal the management will pursue. What is more important: the performance of the team in the KHL or the performance of the Kazakhstan national team at the World Championship. Because this season, it seems, there was absolutely no understanding. But it is still difficult to predict what direction they will take in Astana. The words of Barys general director Boris Ivanishchev also did not help to understand this: “We are now actively looking for a head coach, for now I can say this. “We need to study all the candidates as much as possible and make the right decision.”
However, it is also possible to name a Russian specialist, although there has been a lot of talk about a possible ban: “There is no such ban. “We previously worked with Russian coaches, in particular Andrei Nazarov.”
“Gentleman”
After a successful last season, Vityaz did not retain Vyacheslav Butsaev as head coach. The team was led by Alexander Zavyalov, who was replaced a month later by Dmitry Ryabykin. With him, the team improved the situation a little, but this was not enough to reach the playoffs. As a result: the Vityaz management did not offer Ryabykin a new contract.
Dmitri Ryabykin
Photo: Grigory Sokolov, photo.khl.ru
The first candidate for the position of head coach was Vadim Epanchintsev, who worked at Amur last season and now heads Ugra. But the situation has changed over time, and now the main contender is Pavel Desyatkov, who worked as an assistant at Lada last season. There is confidence that Desyatkov will become the head coach of the Moscow region team, because Lada sports director Rafik Yakubov indirectly noted Pavel’s departure: “Desyatkov can leave the team, negotiations are ongoing. But there is nothing official yet.”
“Kunlun”
Viktor Ignatiev built a good team in Mytishchi, which had a chance to get to the playoffs, if not for the tight Olympic schedule, which in the end became useless and was a very inconvenient opponent, as many noted. In addition, the team deprived SKA of the Continental Cup by giving a concert at a “home” match in St. Petersburg. But Ignatiev does not have a contract for next season.
In the mysterious Chinese club, almost everything is unclear: where the team will play, what is the purpose of its life and many other unknowns. Therefore, the question of who will be the head coach for next season is probably not a cause for concern for the management, both first and second.
“Siberia”
Based on the last year of life in Novosibirsk, a good comedy could be made that would be successful at the box office. The Novosibirsk team failed the first year in the new stadium, disappointed the expectations of fans who were trying to discern “offensive” hockey with a magnifying glass, got into trouble with the fourth legionnaire, but it did not stop there.
Details of how Siberia missed Gatiyatulin:
Passion for Gatiyatulin. It seems that Ak Bars stole the head coach from Sibir
At the end of March, Sibir issued an official press release announcing that an agreement had been reached to sign a contract with Anvar Gatiyatulin. However, a week later we had to publish something new: that the search for a coach was resumed. Among the candidates there are many names: Butsaev, Skabelka and Yakubov. It is still unclear how this will actually happen, but this time, I believe, it will be announced after the contract is signed. We can only hope that the rake is hidden in some closet.
“Sochi”
The Sochi team started last season excellently, ranking among the leaders at the start of the regular season. But then came Borna Rendulic’s move to SKA and everything went up in flames. Sochi fell to the bottom of the table at the speed of Mikhail Kotlyarevsky and finished the season in second-to-last place in the conference.
What do we know about the choice of coach for next season? Apparently, Sochi is not considering the option of continuing cooperation with Dmitry Kokorev, and Sergei Zubov, as they say, will become his successor. The specialist who helped Roman Rotenberg at SKA will again work independently and lead the club that had already reached the playoffs once.
“Tractor”
Traktor ended their season this week, losing to Lokomotiv in the semi-finals. The team made an impressive progress, changing coaches during the championship, finishing in sixth place in the conference and sending Salavat Yulaev and Dynamo Moscow on vacation.
Why Traktor managed to surprise everyone?
Traktor is closer to the championship than we all thought. In summer, specific reinforcements are needed
That’s why it’s surprising to see the Chelyabinsk club on the list, but life is sometimes a little more complicated. At the moment, Alexey Zavarukhin does not have a contract for next season, as Traktor CEO Alexey Volkov states: “We have a board of directors that makes those decisions. We still have to sit together, talk and report.” What is this: backstage games or a formality? Unclear. But it will be strange to see the picture: “Traktor” does not reach the playoffs – the coach stays, “Traktor” reaches the semifinals and wins bronze – the coach leaves.
