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The first week of June is the first week of player trading in the close season – and we have a big new coaching appointment plus a host of imports on the move. The KHL also announced the host city for the 2027 Fonbet KHL All-Star Game.

The 2025/2026 KHL is officially over, with the tradition closing ceremony taking place last week. Here’s your recap of all the prizes handed out there, plus news of a long-serving import leaving his club and the transfer window opening today.

KHL.ru takes a closer look at the nominees for the league’s Best Goalie award — the finalists are Semyon Vyazovoi (Salavat Yulaev), Daniil Isayev (Lokomotiv), and Nikita Serebryakov (Avangard).

Canada’s Byron Froese, USA’s record-breaking Mitchel Miller, and Slovakia’s Martin Gernat and Richard Panik headline a championship cast that powered Lokomotiv’s second straight Gagarin Cup and closed the season with history written in gold. KHL.ru presents the best players from each country.

The KHL season came to a spectacular end on Thursday, with Lokomotiv completing a successful defense of the Gagarin Cup. And, after beating Ak Bars, the Yaroslavl club continued the celebrations at the weekend when the juniors won the Kharlamov Cup.

KHL.ru’s weekly column returns with Bob Hartley. It was a busy week for the Canadian bench boss: first, he led Lokomotiv to its second straight Gagarin Cup, lifting his second trophy in the league. Then, he announced his retirement.

The Kontinental Hockey League’s commission has determined the best players of the 2026 Gagarin Cup playoffs’ final round in four categories.

Lokomotiv goalie Daniil Isayev was named playoff MVP after backstopping his team to a second Gagarin Cup. He had 16 win and five shut-outs in 22 games, stopping 93.1% of shots. After the game, Isayev spoke to journalists.

A 3-2 victory in Kazan in game six seals back-to-back championships for Lokomotiv Yaroslav. Two goals from Yegor Surin and another from Maxim Shalunov secured the decisive victory for Bob Hartley’s men, settling the series against Ak Bars.

Lokomotiv arrives in Kazan with the Gagarin Cup within touching distance after a commanding Game Five victory, while Ak Bars faces a win-or-go-home showdown on home ice as it tries to extend the series and force a decisive Game Seven.

A quickfire double blast midway through the game helped Lokomotiv to victory in game five of the Gagarin Cup final. The defending champion is now up 3-2 in the series and can wrap things up in Kazan on Thursday.

After splitting the first four games, Lokomotiv and Ak Bars head into a pivotal Game Five in Yaroslavl with the Gagarin Cup Finals tied at 2-2. Ak Bars regained momentum thanks to Alexander Chmelevski’s decisive goal in Kazan, but Lokomotiv now returns home with a chance to move one win away from the trophy in front of its fans.

Four games played, two wins apiece. Ak Bars and Lokomotiv look set to serve up another cup final for the ages. Read on for the inside track on the climactic battle of the season.

Alexander Chmelevski’s goal midway through the third period snapped a 1-1 tie in game four. The Ak Bars forward sends the 2026 Gagarin Cup Final series back to Yaroslavl locked at 2-2.

Gagarin Cup Final shifts into Game Four in Kazan with Ak Bars now under real pressure after Lokomotiv’s composed Game Three performance moved the defending champions to within one win of the title. With the series at 2–1 for the visitors, the home side will be aiming to respond and level things up, while Lokomotiv look to take another step toward closing out the championship.

The defending champion took the verdict as the Gagarin Cup final moved to Kazan for game three. First period goals from Maxim Beryozkin and Richard Panik paved the way for a 3-1 victory, putting Lokomotiv up 2-1 in the series.

Mitchell Miller’s hat-trick and four-point performance powered Ak Bars to a dominant Game Two victory in Yaroslavl, tying the Gagarin Cup finals at one apiece as the series now heads to Kazan, where Lokomotiv will look to regain control in a pivotal Game Three.

Radulov’s leadership, Beryozkin’s timely scoring and Isayev’s strong play in net helped Lokomotiv draw first blood in the Gagarin Cup finals, but Ak Bars now heads into Game Two looking for a response before the series shifts to Kazan.

The opening day of the Gagarin Cup final brought victory for Lokomotiv. Two goals in a minute early in the second period paved the way for a 3-1 success for the defending champion.

This is what it all comes down to – the 2026 Gagarin Cup final starts in Yaroslavl today. The match-up between Lokomotiv and Ak Bars is rich in sub-plots, as the Railwaymen look to defend their title against an opponent seeking a record-breaking fourth crown.

Lokomotiv enters its third consecutive Gagarin Cup finals, this time facing Ak Bars in a repeat of the first-ever finals back in 2009. The Railwaymen needed two OTs in Game Seven against Avangard to get there, while the Kazan side handed a 4-1 defeat to regular-season champions, Metallurg. Ak Bars is currently tied with CSKA and Metallurg for the most Gagarin Cup titles with three apiece, and now has the opportunity to become the competition’s outright most successful franchise with a fourth championship. Lokomotiv, meanwhile, is chasing its second title after last year’s triumph.

Gernat’s defensive reliability in decisive moments, Todd’s timely scoring presence and Jaskin’s consistent all-situations impact all proved decisive in their teams’ passage through the semifinals. KHL.ru presents the best players from each country.

KHL.ru’s weekly column returns with Lokomotiv’s forward Maxim Shalunov. As the playoffs go deeper, his importance to his team increases, cementing his reputation of one of the best players in the league in clutch moments.

The Kontinental Hockey League’s commission has determined the best players of the 2026 Gagarin Cup playoffs’ third round in four categories.

A last-minute collapse in Game Six denied Avangard a Finals berth, as Lokomotiv forced extra time and completed a dramatic comeback to send the series back to Yaroslavl for an exciting and winner-takes-all Game Seven

Two goals for Loko in the last minute of regulation robbed Avangard of a place in this year’s Gagarin Cup final – at least for now. The Hawks blew a 2-0 lead in game six of the series and fell in overtime, ensuring the teams return to Yaroslavl for a game seven showdown.

Last week confirmed the first of this year’s Gagarin Cup finalists, while the second series remains tight. Elsewhere, another KHL player celebrated a move to the NHL.

Lokomotiv kept its season alive with a dominant shutout victory in Yaroslavl and now heads to Omsk with renewed confidence for Game Six, while Avangard looks to quickly bounce back on home ice and avoid letting the series slip into a decisive seventh game.

Two days after failing to score in Omsk, Lokomotiv blanked Avangard in Yaroslavl. Saturday’s 4-0 victory ensures this Gagarin Cup semi-final series will return to Siberia for game six with Loko still in contention at 2-3.

Avangard heads to Yaroslavl one win away from the Gagarin Cup Final after another disciplined defensive performance in Omsk, while Lokomotiv now faces a must-win situation to keep its season alive on home ice.

Avangard is one game away from ousting the defending champion. A 2-0 win at home to Lokomotiv put the Hawks up 3-1 in the series. Playoff leading scorer Konstantin Okulov moves to 20 points in post season after scoring the second goal in Omsk.

Lokomotiv climbed back into the series with a crucial road win in Omsk and now heads into Game Four with renewed belief, while Avangard looks to respond quickly and protect its advantage before the matchup shifts back to Yaroslavl.

Down 2-0 in the series, and 2-0 at the first intermission, Lokomotiv’s grip on the Gagarin Cup looked to be down to its fingertips. But a big fightback in game three secured a 4-2 victory in Omsk, reinvigorating Bob Hartley’s hopes of taking his team to the final.

After a fiery and penalty-filled battle in Yaroslavl, the series shifts to Omsk with Avangard in control and looking to extend their lead, while Lokomotiv face a crucial test as they try to respond and avoid falling into a deeper hole.

For the first time ever, the opening games in the Gagarin Cup semi-finals went to the visiting teams. Avangard and Ak Bars enjoyed 5-2 wins at Lokomotiv and Metallurg respectively. The Hawks followed up with a second victory in Yaroslavl – can Ak Bars do the same in Magnitogorsk today?

Ak Bars seized the initiative with a commanding Game One road win, but with Metallurg’s goaltending under scrutiny and the regular season champions eager to respond, Game Two sets up a pivotal test as Magnitka look to level the series on home ice.

Two goals in 68 seconds midway through the second period turned around game two of this Gagarin Cup semi-final series. Vasily Ponomaryov and Damir Sharipzyanov put Avangard in front and the Hawks went on to win a fiery game in Yaroslavl.

Avangard drew first blood with an emphatic Game One win, but with Lokomotiv stung on home ice and their star netminder chased early, Game Two sets the stage for a fierce response from the Railwaymen as they look to even the series.

Defenseman Max Lajoie had two power play goals to open the Gagarin Cup semifinals. His efforts paced a 5-2 win for the Hawks at Lokomotiv.

A semifinal trilogy unfolds as Lokomotiv and Avangard meet for the third straight year: the Railwaymen chasing a third consecutive series win, while the Hawks aim to flip the script after sweeping the regular-season meetings.