KHL deadline recap
Avangard and Traktor were most active, Sibir traded its captain on derby day, Ak Bars brought back a defenseman from Canada, Traktor swapped one Canadian for another, and Magnitka swapped goalies. KHL.ru covers the main transfers before the deadline.
Nikolai Prokhorkin
From Sibir to Avangard
On the eve of the trade deadline day, Avangard pulled off a deal with their neighbors. Just the morning before the Siberian derby, Nikolai Prokhorkin was a Sibir player, and after Reid Boucher’s OT game-winner, he celebrated victory with the rest of the Hawks. He only needed to move his gear from one locker room to another. Prokhorkin left the Novosibirsk club as its third top scorer and captain. However, in the last few games, the ‘C’ was worn by Nikita Korotkov, while Prokhorkin remained out of the lineup. The Olympic champion lost his position after David Nemirovsky’s resignation. Prokhorkin moved to Avangard – he has already played for the Omsk side in the 2021-2022 campaign – in exchange for monetary compensation.
Tomas Jurco
From Davos (Switzerland) to Avangard
Nikolai Prokhorkin’s potential linemate is expected to be Tomas Jurco, who will take the vacant import position after Libor Sulak’s departure and move back to Admiral. If Nikolai is an Olympic champion as he won the gold medal in 2018 in South Korea, the Avangard’s Slovak newcomer is a bronze medalist from the Beijing Olympics. He went to the 2022 Games as a Barys representative, where he scored 11 points in 17 games. After wearing his national team’s jersey in China, Tomas joined Kunlun Red Star. Therefore, the Omsk team gains a forward with both international and KHL experience. Additionally, Jurco has over two hundred NHL games to his name. However, he will join the Hawks’ lineup not immediately, but after the Spengler Cup, where he is playing for the Swiss team Davos.
Damir Zhafyarov
From Ak Bars to Avangard
Throughout the first half of the season, Avangard secured goals and victories largely due to its top line’s performances, particularly the duo of Tkachyov and Boucher. However, bench boss Mikhail Kravets somewhat failed to assemble a potent second attacking trio from the available resources. And so the boards had to pull out a trick, constructing a potentially strong combination with Jurco, Prokhorkin, and Zhafyarov through transfers. The final piece of this transfer mosaic was the controversial forward from Ak Bars, who, in the last month, played only 7 minutes and 35 seconds in official matches. Damir did not fit into Zinetula Bilyaletdinov’s plans, but Kazan was in no hurry to release him, considering Dmirij Jaskin’s injury. Avangard managed to acquire Zhafyarov through a three-way trade.
Igor Geraskin
From Avangard to Metallurg
In exchange for Zhafyarov, Avangard parted ways with Igor Geraskin, for whom they had paid a cash compensation last spring and handed over prospect Timur Mukhanov. The forward, who signed a four-year contract, in the end failed to play a full season for Avangard. Geraskin was brought in as a replacement for Sergei Tolchinsky but managed to score only 15 points in 42 games – half as much as defenseman Damir Sharipzyanov. However, Geraskin is not heading to Kazan in exchange for Zhafyarov; instead, he is going to Magnitogorsk. He joins a coach he knows well. Geraskin’s development as an impact player in the KHL took place in Cherepovets under the guidance of Andrei Razin. Now, they will be working together again. Geraskin becomes the fifth player from Severstal to move from Cherepovets to Magnitogorsk in the offseason or during the championship, following the coach’s path.
Semyon Koshelev
From Metallurg to Ak Bars
The third participant in the Eastern three-way trade became forward Semyon Koshelev. Like Geraskin and Zhafyarov, he was traded for monetary compensation. For the forward, who spent his fourth season with Metallurg, this year’s campaign turned out to be less successful. Koshelev consistently scored 10+ goals during the regular season, but halfway through the current one, he had only four goals to his name. However, unlike Zhafyarov, for whom Bilyaletdinov never found a use, Koshelev is valuable not only for his attacking skills, so he has a better chance of fitting into the Ak Bars’ system.
Maxim Marushev
From Traktor to Sibir
Maxim Marushev failed to land a spot in Ak Bars’ lineup. After returning from North America in the last offseason, he trained with his home team but soon went to Chelyabinsk on loan. However, the 24-year-old center couldn’t compete with Traktor’s own forward and scored only one point in 15 games. An injury largely prevented him from showcasing his abilities. Now, Marushev is heading out on his second loan spell of the season. Ak Bars recalled him, made possible by the small percentage of games played, and immediately sent him to Sibir. This move helps Novosibirsk fill the gap in the middle that arose after trading away Prokhorkin.
Artemy Knyazev
From Manitoba Moose (AHL) to Ak Bars
Following Marushev, another Kazan-trained player is returning to Russia. Artemy Knyazev, 22 years old, spent the last five and a half years overseas, only coming to the Ak Bars system during the coronavirus pandemic. At that time, the offensive defenseman played several games in the VHL and JHL, but he is yet to make his debut in the KHL. Knyazev has one NHL game under his belt and a couple of good seasons in the AHL. However, playing Winnipeg’s farm club, Knyazev scored only 5 (0+5) points in 20 games this season. Will he be able to gain Bilyaletdinov’s trust? Another young defenseman, Nikita Yevseyev, couldn’t do so and is now lining up for Neftyanik in the VHL.
Madison Bowey
From Traktor to Torpedo
Interestingly, initially, Winnipeg announced that they were sending Knyazev on loan to Torpedo. Igor Larionov, Torpedo’s head coach, was personally interested in the defenseman. Knyazev played under Larionov at the WJC as part of the Russian national team. However, the KHL rights to Artemy belonged to Ak Bars, which chose not to send their player away, even temporarily. Instead of Knyazev, Torpedo added another defenseman with developed offensive skills. However, Madison Bowey, who previously played for Traktor, was more often noted for spending time in the sin bin, than for productive actions. This will be the third club for the Canadian in this season. He began his KHL career in Minsk. At 28 years old, Bowey had his best season with the Detroit Red Wings, and thus he shares some common ground with Larionov.
Grigory Dronov
From Metallurg to Traktor
Parting ways with Bowey, who was acquired during the season to replace Rob Hamilton, allowed Traktor to bring in Grigory Dronov. The Magnitogorsk native is slightly smaller than Bowey, but his skills with the man advantage and general offensive skills are preferable. Importantly, Dronov won’t take up a foreign player slot. Grigory didn’t fit into the revamped Metallurg, although he scored three goals in September. To some extent, his role was taken over by Steelers’ newcomer, Robin Press. Many remember the defenseman’s mistake in Togliatti that led to defeat. However, after the match against Lada, Dronov played three more games under Razin’s guidance. In exchange, the Black-and-whites sent goalie Nikita Podskrebalin, who had played eight games in the KHL.
Jack Rodewald
From Kunlun Red Star to Traktor
Into the vacancy left after the Bowey trade, Traktor acquired another Canadian, but this time not a defenseman. Joining Zach Fucale and Charles Robinson will be Jack Rodewald. Like Robinson, he is a fairly sizable forward, a characteristic highly valued by Chelyabinsk’s general manager, Alexei Volkov. Rodewald is a physically strong forward who excels in both physical play and offensive contributions. He can play both in the center and on the flank. Moreover, the newcomer has decent stats in faceoffs, with a 55% success rate. Perhaps, he is the partner that Anton Burdasov needs? The Traktor captain has been struggling to find a suitable linemate throughout the entire season.
Artyom Zagidulin
From Metallurg to Neftekhimik
Almost simultaneously with the arrival of Podskrebalin from Traktor, Magnitka parted ways with Artyom Zagidulin. Another attempt by a local talent to become the undisputed starting goalie for Metallurg ended without success. Although a successful season in Finland led to expectations that Zagidulin could become a starter for Metallurg, he lost out to the young Ilya Nabokov. In Neftekhimik, Zagidulin will be the fifth goalkeeper for the season. Emil Garipov has long been on the injury list, Dmitry Nikolayev now plays for Spartak, and the KHL debutant Filipp Dolganov has played the most games for the Wolves. Zagidulin should at least help relieve the workload for the less experienced goalie.
Alexei Melnichuk
From Torpedo to Lokomotiv
Changes between the piping are also underway in Nizhny Novgorod. Before the deadline, Torpedo decided to release Alexei Melnichuk, who was initially brought in as a backup to the Huska and Kulbakov tandem. However, the Slovak and the Belarusian provided no reason to ice a third netminder. Melnichuk was only included in the roster a few times, but didn’t take any action. Now, the role will be assumed by Torpedo’s goaltending coach. The 50-year-old Nikolai Khabibulin has already signed a contract with the Nizhny Novgorod side. As for Melnichuk, he is heading to Yaroslavl, where the competition in the goaltending lineup is even more intense. However, he will have the opportunity to work again with Rashid Davydov, under whose guidance Alexei made his KHL debut for SKA.
