As much as some of the demanding fans were outraged by the poor performance at the start of the regular season, in the first week there was something to see. Here is a miraculous start from Avangard, who are still unbeaten, having lost their two leading scorers before the start of the season, and from Kunlun, whose head coach’s words before the start of the season no longer sound like self-assured bravado towards his team.
Related materials
“Vanguardia”, what’s going on? They split up at the start of the season with a new coach, no superstars
We won’t draw conclusions about teams that continue to disappoint, but we can talk about players who aren’t even playing at half their potential.
Mikhail Grigorenko (SKA)
Statistics: 3 games, 0 points, utility score – “0”
Did Mikhail Grigorenko know when he arrived in St. Petersburg that he would start the season on the fourth line? It is unlikely, but he should have definitely taken this into account, having observed the rotation of the military team in previous seasons.
Already in the first match, Mikhail sat on the bench from the beginning of the third period, which can significantly affect confidence. At a distance of three matches, it is clear that Grigorenko does not have it. As well as the understanding of the system of Roman Rotenberg and his assistants.
Sergei Tolchinsky
Statistics: 3 games, 0 points, utility indicator – “-1”
The situation with Tolchinsky is similar to that with Grigorenko. And the forwards play in the same vein. Only Sergei has already had a year of work experience in St. Petersburg, so in this case excuses about adaptation are not accepted.
Sergei Tolchinsky
Photo: Yaroslav Neelov, photo.khl.ru
Tolchinsky also did not finish the match with Magnitka, and in the matches with Lada and Lokomotiv the forward was unrecognizable: the energy that we are used to seeing in his best years was not even close.
Dmitri Kagarlitsky
Statistics: 3 games, 0 points, utility indicator – “+1”
Kagarlitsky did not end up on a very good note at Ak Bars, although the Kazan general manager denied in a recent interview that the parties had any misunderstandings. The move to Torpedo seemed like a welcome challenge: Dmitry is one of the most intelligent players in the league, which means he should fit perfectly into Larionov’s playing model.
But so far everything is very difficult. Yes, of course, in the match against the former team there was a winning penalty shootout, but it did not bring the final victory. In other aspects, Dmitry is not yet succeeding, and at least not systematically.
Taylor Beck
Statistics: 2 games, 0 points, utility indicator – “-2”
It’s foolish to deny that Taylor Beck is Sibir’s main player in recent years. The Canadian had a great start in the Novosibirsk team two years ago, breaking the record for goals in a season.
Taylor Beck
Photo: Dmitry Loshkarev, photo.khl.ru
But this season begins like the previous one: heavy legs, low efficiency, unexpected recklessness (remember the pass behind the back in Yekaterinburg a few seconds before Avtomobilist scored the third goal of the match). It is time for Vadim Epanchintsev to act.
Alexander Jokhlachev
Statistics: 2 games, 0 points, utility indicator – “+1”
Khokhlachev, who received a huge contract before the start of last season, has not started this season any better. Although Nikita Filatov is said to be still quietly waiting for Alexander’s 50 points.
The striker has already been the victim of harsh sanctions from Andrei Martemyanov, missing the match against Vityaz. Khokhlachev himself recently stated that the birth of a child should be an advantage for him. Let’s hope so, because he has enough worthy partners.
Related materials
Amur striker Khokhlachev talks about the birth of his son: pure emotion, difficult to describe in words
Egor Korshkov
Statistics: 3 games, 0 points, utility indicator – “-4”
Egor Korshkov managed to revive his club at Amur last season, but the geographical factor prevented him from extending his cooperation. The forward had several offers, but he opted for Ak Bars, which seemed logical given the restructuring of the club.
In Kazan, so far, in general, there is little to inspire, if you remove the first link from the equation, but given the expectations, status and contract, Korshkov’s failure at the start is all the more surprising. It is enough to look at some of Yegor’s changes, as well as his utility indicator.
Great interview with Egor:
Exclusive
“At Lokomotiv, he hid behind the backs of the legionnaires.” A conversation with the newcomer from Ak Bars
Damir Zhafyarov
Statistics: 3 games, 0 points, utility indicator – “-2”
What Damir went through last season is something I wouldn’t wish on anyone. The exchange with Avangard revived Zhafyarov a bit, but not enough to make anyone in the arena or in front of the TV screen gasp.
This summer, the cards seemed to finally line up: a team without pressure, a favourite coach, the first link. It is true that so far all this does not help. Of course, the blame can be placed on the level of play of the entire team, but that teacher must be the one who helps to overcome it.
Anton Burdasov
Statistics: 3 games, 0 points, utility indicator – “-3”
We will not say how ethical the separation of Burdasov and Traktor was, but for now the Chelyabinsk team looks like the winning team in this matter.
This is probably the consequence of a failed preseason (which almost never happened), but so far Anton looks like a very slow player who has no time to make a decision. His strong point, shooting, is still in the shadows.
Alexei Makeev
Statistics: 3 games, 0 points, utility indicator – “-1”
No matter how much Omsk tried to dismiss questions about Makeev being Tkachev’s replacement, it is clear that it was the injuries of the managers that forced the Avangard management to sign Makeev in order not to lose a large number of points at the start.
Alexei Makeev
Photo: Dmitry Loshkarev, photo.khl.ru
Alexey looked good at times in preseason, but the moment the anger was over and the emotions subsided, everything died down even more. It’s possible that the problem is the lack of a full preseason, like Burdasov.
Dylan Sikura
Statistics: 3 matches, 1 (0+1) point, utility indicator – “-2”
If all the above-mentioned players did not particularly shine in the pre-season, then Sikura became one of their discoveries, scoring seven goals in seven matches.
But at the same time I don’t want to describe the first three games as a failure. Dylan didn’t get out of the game and didn’t look like a foreign body in Benoit Grou’s system. This makes it even more offensive that the striker missed a month due to injury.
