The end of the scandalous series. Gritsyuk could become a star for Avangard, but he is going to risk it at SKA
May 28, 2023
In St. Petersburg, Arseny expects crazy competition and a constant struggle for trust. Is the talented forward ready for this?
One of the main plotlines of the KHL offseason has experienced a long-awaited denouement. Avangard did not repeat the proposal that SKA made to Arseniy Gritsyuk. Therefore, the rights of the attacker were officially transferred to the office of the St. Petersburg Club.
A rare case: contractual disputes between Gritsyuk and his former employer were almost live. The representative of hockey player Shumi Babaev explained in detail how he intends to employ his client, along the way making claims to Avangard with complete inability to negotiate.
Arseny Gritsyuk
Photo: Dmitry Loshkarev, photo.khl.ru
When everything was resolved, the parties agreed to at least one external de-escalation. “Omsk, thank you for the amazing support from the team throughout the year! At this stage, our paths separate, but Omsk will forever remain in my heart, ”wrote the hockey player on his social networks.
There, the club also said goodbye to the hockey player: “Thank you for all the years in our team! We wish you never to leave your chosen path, not to stop developing, that your career only go up, that it becomes possible to win as many trophies as possible!
Gritsyuk is not the only one leaving Avangard:
In “Vanguard” – again a change of era. The head of the club leaves at the most inopportune moment
Previously, Babaev said many times that he was ready to take the striker to North America. But the outcome of the story turned out to be much more prosaic, and instead of a truly fascinating journey, Gritsyuk went on the popular Russian route – to St. Petersburg.
Gritsyuk is the 11th rookie on the Army team this season, and this figure is perhaps more important to his future than the length and cost of the deal. The logical defeat to CSKA did not force the Petersburgers to reconsider the club’s philosophy: in the spring they continued to work within the framework of the previous strategy, ramming the squad with the rival leaders.
Breaking through the crowd of other young and hungry is the main task that Gritsyuk will have to solve in a new place. Task number 2 is to maintain trust, which is especially difficult to do in SKA, where impulsive decisions sometimes take precedence over rational ones.
Gritsyuk’s role in the army team is barely visible. Obviously, outside of the top 6, a hockey player of this format will be uncomfortable, and Arseniy’s resume is not yet significant enough to automatically secure a spot in the top links. In SKA, which is undergoing a noticeable revamp, they will certainly conduct numerous experiments, and Gritsyuk clearly cannot help but move within the roster.
Details on SKA’s transfer policy:
System overloaded. SKA renews grandly in the preseason, but does not learn from mistakes
At the same time, even with stable playing time, the striker’s progress slowed down last season. With an average of 15 minutes on the ice and a place in the second-most special squad, the number 81 scored fewer goals in the record regular season (15 goals in 66 games) than a year earlier (16 in 39). According to the point average, Gritsyuk also lost to his old self. But, most importantly, the striker disappeared at the right time, four points from him in three rounds of the playoffs is a sad result and one of the reasons why Avangard could not eat with stronger Ak Bars.
With regard to styling characteristics, Gritsyuk fits into army equipment primarily in terms of speed characteristics. But with numbers like that, it’s going to be hard for him to avoid making the rotation team. It has been empirically proven: SKA is not ready to hold out as long as it did in Avangard, where even after unsuccessful matches Gritsyuk was not threatened by any sanctions.
At Avangard, Gritsyuk would continue to play under the guidance of his former coach:
Hartley didn’t wait. Avangard did not change the coach: this is logical and risky
In addition, next season the striker would have an excellent chance to become a real star of the Omsk team. Sergei Tolchinsky left the “hawks”, the future of Vladimir Tkachev is vague, and under certain circumstances, Gritsyuk could certainly apply for a vacancy in the first liaison with Bush and Knight. On the other hand, perhaps it was the high internal competition that Arseniy lacked to reach a new level.
For Avangard, the loss of Gritsyuk does not seem critical, although in other circumstances the club would hardly have abandoned the young and talented hockey player. Omsk with and without Tkachev are two different teams, but Gritsyuk’s influence does not allow him to be called a central player.
In general, there is a feeling that the conflict around Gritsyuk is overheated. As stars in today’s KHL, those hockey players are perceived who, with a more democratic cap and in a calm political environment, would be in the background. And it is difficult to eradicate the suspicion that the new SKA striker is not worth not only a lot of money, but also so many conversations.
