Vityaz gets Yakupov, Dynamo strengthens further. Top transfers of the week

Oscar Lindberg joins Dynamo, Stephane Da Costa moves to Kazan, and Yakupov hopes for a fresh new start with Vityaz. KHL.ru presents the best moves of the last week.

Oscar Lindberg

From EV Zug to Dynamo Moscow

After losing Andre Petersson to Lokomotiv, Dynamo Moscow had to find a new import for its lineup and decided to strengthen its central axis with Oscar Lindberg. The 28-years-old Swede has a long CV with two IIHF World Championship gold medals and an SHL trophy with Playoffs’ MVP honors back in 2013. Most recently, Lindberg played in Switzerland with EV Zug after spending the previous six seasons in North America. With Lindberg, Dynamo signed an excellent two-way forward, a hard worker and very good player on the dots — something that the Blue-and-Whites were missing and that they got now as the teams prepare for the 2020-2021 campaign.

Stephane Da Costa

From Lokomotiv to Ak Bars

After a solid year in Yaroslavl with a strong performance in the playoffs, the Frenchman moved East to Kazan. The Tatarstan-based franchise is trying to get another shot at the Gagarin Cup after the recent interruption of the season. Stephane Da Costa will be a crucial player for Ak Bars next year — he is expected to add creativity and offensive potential in both even strength and powerplay situations. Signing Da Costa, Kazan signed its fifth import for the 2020-2021 season — will the team risk to hire a sixth one to improve their depth further?

Nail Yakupov

From SKA to Vityaz

It’s not the first time a player moves from SKA to Vityaz, and this move is undoubtedly a welcome one for the Moscow Region team, who got a potential leader in Nail Yakupov. After the league introduced a salary cap for the next season, SKA had to part with some players — Yakupov was one of them. The former first overall pick at the 2012 NHL Entry Draft wasn’t a key player in St. Petersburg, while he can be one for Vityaz. The Nizhnekamsk native is expected to form a deadly duo with Alex Semin, and it will be interesting to see whether they can reach their potential together.

Jordan Schroeder

From Torpedo to Jokerit

As usual, Jokerit is doing an excellent job on the market, signing players not just for the sake of it, but trying to strengthen its lineup with reasonable moves. Signing Jordan Schroeder was one of them. The Jokers needed a replacement for Peter Regin, and the American forward is an excellent candidate for its role. The 29-years-old forward from Minnesota was the best player for Torpedo last year, and he is expected to repeat the feat with Jokerit, but with a team who is capable of reaching higher heights.

Sergei Tolchinsky and Damir Sharipzyanov

From CSKA and Neftekhimik to Avangard

Signing these two players, the Hawks decided to invest not only in their present but also in the future. Both Sergei Tolchinsky and Damir Sharipzyanov are still pretty young, and both have the potential to be first liners in the KHL — perhaps even next year? Tolchinsky had a striking second part of last year with CSKA Moscow, who had to unload the young forward due to salary cap-based troubles. At the same time, Sharipzyanov moved up, moving from Neftekhimik to Avangard. After this year’s disappointing first-round exit, expect Avangard stronger than ever the next Fall.

Charles Genoway

From Torpedo to Avtomobilist

After demonstrating a strong offensive side in Torpedo, Chay Genoway decided to move to Avtomobilist for his sixth team in each of his six seasons in the KHL. The Canadian offensive defenseman posted a career-high of 31 points in last year’s regular season, and Avtomobilist hopes that the 33-years-old veteran will make its engine running faster and stronger, also in the powerplay. If the Canadian will have good passes to unleash his blistering shot, expect Genoway recording another career-high next year.

Alexei Marchenko

From CSKA to Lokomotiv

Perhaps a transfer that went a bit unnoticed, Lokomotiv had a good boost in its offseason value signing the former CSKA defenseman. Alexei Marchenko posted a career-high 21 points last time around, and in Lokomotiv, his role promises to be even bigger than what it was with the Red Army. The Railwaymen moved very well so far on the transfers market, and Marchenko is expected to be a crucial player for them next year when hockey returns.