Kazan signs big again
Ak Bars grab top players from SKA, Lokomotiv returns to the international market, and other teams keep on strengthening their rosters.
From SKA to Ak Bars
As SKA is completing its lineup making noise on the domestic market after inking Arseny Gritsyuk and Sergei Tolchinsky, it was quite obvious that someone would have needed to go, and the choice fallen in Dmitrij Jaskin. Last year’s top scorer was excellent for the St. Petersburg franchise, but it looked like the team’s head coach Roman Rotenberg had different plans. Now the 30-year-old has a three-year deal with Ak Bars, where he will rejoin forces with Vadim Shipachyov, his colleague at Dynamo. In his KHL career to date Jaskin has a remarkable loot of 206 (122+84) points in 214 games.
Damir Zhafyarov
From SKA to Ak Bars
Not only Jaskin did join Ak Bars, the Kazan franchise this year is determined to amass another high-end talent again as they also signed Zhafyarov from St. Petersburg. The forward was probably expecting better from his move to SKA, even if he still amassed a more than respectable 44 (16+28) points following four highly productive campaigns with Torpedo. The technically-sound winger has inked a one-year deal with Ak Bars, differently from Jaskin, but it’s not to be excluded that the duo will play together in Kazan to start the season.
Martin Gernat
From Lausanne HC (Switzerland) to Lokomotiv
The Yaroslavl franchise signed its first import player since the 2021-2022 campaign as they inked defenseman Martin Gernat to a one-year deal. The large framed (6’4″, 203 lbs) defenseman has a long CV with seasons at the top level in both North America and Europe, with a bronze medal captured with Slovakia at the 2022 Olympic Games. Gernat has never made it to the NHL, yet he won two crowns in Czechia and a WHL title in 2012 with the Edmonton Oil Kings. The Kosice native has spent his last two seasons in Lausanne, where he scored 56 points in two seasons, and was one of the top ten scoring d-men in the Swiss top-flight league, and second overall in goal scoring.
Matvei Guskov
From CSKA to Salavat Yulaev
The young center didn’t have a spectacular season if limiting to check how many points he scored, but he was a valuable member for the Gagarin Cup winning squad as he lined up for 46 games for the Moscow-based franchise. And his triumph was just the start of a busy offseason — first, he received an offer sheet from his native Lokomotiv Yaroslavl. Soon after, CSKA decided to match the Railwaymen’s offer as, to directly quote its president Igor Yesmantovich, a decision was taken not to strengthen another Western Conference contending team. Therefore, the young forward was sent to Ufa as Salavat Yulaev was delighted to get a quality player to strengthen its lineup following a first-round exit last term.
Maxim Osipov
From Lokomotiv to Avtomobilist
The Yekaterinburg franchise is working on the market to improve its lineup and decided to start from the defensive zone, first signing Neftekhimik’s Kirill Vorobyov, then adding Maxim Osipov. The 29-years-old defenseman started playing hockey in Yaroslavl, but also lined up in the KHL for Salavat Yulaev and Torpedo, where he had his debut in the league. The experienced d-man accumulated 518 games in the league, with 110 (33+77) points and an impressive +58 differential. Now, the Yekaterinburg side needs to agree with Nikita Tryamkin to start the season with an interesting defensive unit.
