The 2024 offseason in the KHL, which has gone down in history, was marked by one striking feature: a large, even huge, number of famous Russian hockey players of different ages on the free agent market. In May-June this seemed like a temporary phenomenon, but when by the end of August almost the entire team still had NSA status, it became clear that the trends in the KHL were changing. The success of Metallurg, which won the Gagarin Cup with a significant number of youngsters and yesterday’s Vakhaelov players in the lineup, an increase in the limit on foreign players, the impact of the salary cap, plus the inflated demands of some agents and hockey players – this led to the fact that at the beginning of the season many well-known players were left without work.
Someone managed to sign the flag. So, Anton Burdasov and Viktor Antipin went to Astana, and Artyom Lukoyanov and Kirill Petrov signed contracts with the newcomer to the Moscow VHL Unison. But here is a list of hockey players who, being at a completely athletic age, took the first step towards skipping the season.
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Nikolay Prokhorkin, 30 years old
Last season, one of the most talented Russian central forwards seemingly restarted his career at Avangard, achieving a very strong second half of the championship. I heard that the “falcons” were generally interested in continuing cooperation with Prokhorkin and made him an offer, but the player’s conditions turned out to be too high for the Omsk club.
And, apparently, not only for Avangard. It is difficult to explain the fact that a skilled Russian forward, who plays in a scarce position and, moreover, is not a “crystal” player, at the age of 30 is left without a club, by anything other than Nikolai’s reluctance to lower demands. At the same time, Prokhorkin remains a valuable asset on the market, and his value will begin to steadily decrease as the season begins and the deadline approaches.
Sergei Shumakov, 32 years old
Another tremendous talent and difficult character. Due to his obstinacy at one point, Shumakov prematurely ended the most successful period of his career at Avangard, leaving during the season when the Omsk team won the Gagarin Cup. Then a frantic and unsuccessful jump between clubs began for Sergei, until he spent a full and decent season for Lada, managing to at least resemble the former Shumakov, even if he had greatly lost his speed and agility on the ice.
Sergey Shumakov
Photo: Dmitry Loshkarev, photo.khl.ru
However, in the off-season, Togliatti did not renew the contract with the forward, and no one else is in a hurry to sign Shumakov. Perhaps the fault lies in Sergei’s very capricious character, which is why he was unable to fully reveal his talent. Otherwise, a skillful and intelligent forward would definitely not interfere with almost any KHL club in any specific role.
Sergei Kalinin, 33 years old
Kalinin, of course, is no longer a child, but he has long had the status of a hockey player who is valued not for his speed and statistics, but for his leadership qualities. For the past four seasons, Kalinin was the captain of Traktor, although in the last championship during the playoffs he did little to help the Chelyabinsk team on the ice, losing the competition for a place in the lineup.
The new Traktor, as expected, did not need Kalinin, who had done well, but it is rather strange that Sergei has not yet signed a contract with another team. There was talk of Siberia, but in the end Sergei Shirokov, 38, was chosen as the leader of the locker room. Kalinin had no intention of retiring and diligently trained on his own this summer, but now his future seems mysterious.
Nikita Soshnikov, 30 years old
Even in the penultimate season, Soshnikov played in the NHL (three games for the Islanders), but now, apparently, no one needs him in the KHL. Well, this also happens, although after his next return to Russia Nikita did nothing special that would remind him of his performance in Atlanta at the beginning of his career or later in Salavat Yulaev. At Traktor, Soshnikov showed average statistics; in the playoffs he did not make a difference, being more of a cog in the Chelyabinsk machine. And, as time has shown, he is not the most important cog, since Nikita did not stay at Traktor.
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Apparently, Soshnikov still harbors some kind of grudge against the Chelyabinsk team, but in the off-season no other club reached an agreement with the 30-year-old striker. It is probably worth looking for the problem in yourself as well.
Ivan Telegin, 32 years old.
Probably the only hockey player in the national team whose unemployment status should be discussed without surprise. In the off-season, Telegin probably had no time for hockey: a quarrel with his ex-wife, problems due to mortgage debts. In addition, last season Ivan again suffered most of the time from injuries that had already become chronic.
Ivan Telegin
Photo: Yuri Kuzmin, foto.khl.ru
There is no need to talk about any return to the previous level in Telegin’s case, and in general, I would not be surprised if the Olympic champion ends his career prematurely.
Mikhail Pashnin, 35 years old
Pashnin is a veteran by hockey standards, especially in a league that is looking to get younger. But it is still unusual for a tough and experienced, albeit not the most reliable, defender to remain unemployed at the start of the season. There is a well-known story that they wanted to see Pashnin at Admiral, but were unable to sign Mikhail due to the complexities of the regulations.
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Alexander Burmistrov, 32 years old
As far as I’m concerned, Burmistrov’s big problem over the years has been the reluctance to plow and overcome, to work hard to maintain the level that was originally inherent in Alexander’s enormous talent. After returning to Russia in 2018, Burmistrov didn’t even reach the 20-point mark in the regular season, while constantly looking for work, due to his name and the scarce central position.
Even last season, in the cheerful and attacking Spartak, Burmistrov failed to prove his worth, the red-and-whites did not renew his contract, and Alexander apparently had few offers on the market. At the same time, the hockey player rejected the option with Vityaz, which indicates that he does not fully understand the changing realities of the KHL market. However, this can be said not only about Burmistrov.
