Happy New Year!

The final week of KHL action in 2023 saw the trade deadline pass with plenty of activity. On the ice, Spartak and Metallurg lead the two conferences – and one goalie extended his record of never allowing a goal in KHL player throughout his career.

Avangard rebuilds its offense

With the trade deadline passing, Avangard was the team making the biggest headlines. The Hawks opted to boost their team from a position of strength as they close on the top of the Eastern Conference. The first big arrival was Nikolai Prokhorkin, who came from Sibir in search of a team that can compete for the Gagarin Cup. His 24 (8+16) points in Novosibirsk could not move his former club higher than eighth in the conference. Prokhorkin was joined in Omsk by Damir Zhafyarov, who started the season at Ak Bars but failed to make a big impression. However, a career return of 313 points in 615 KHL games demands respect. A third forward, Tomas Jurco, also arrived from Davos (SUI). The Slovak has previously played for Barys and Kunlun in the KHL. With his new offensive options, Avangard head coach Mikhail Kravets will hope to create a more consistent second line to support the powerful Boucher-Tkachyov-Spooner combination.

The carousel keeps spinning

Avangard’s activity had a knock-on effect, notably triggering a three-way trade involving Metallurg and Ak Bars. Zhafyarov’s move to Omsk meant that Igor Geraskin went from Avangard to Magnitogorsk. In turn, the Steelmen shifted Semyon Koshelev to Ak Bars. Geraskin, previously with Severstal, reunites with Andrei Razin, a coach who knows his game well. That kind of reunion has already reinvigorated Daniil Vovchenko, who was suffering a miserable season in Cherepovets before joining Magnitka. Koshelev, meanwhile, leaves Metallurg partway through his fourth season with the club.

Khabibulin to return?

Veteran goalie Nikolai Khabibulin, currently working as goaltending coach with Torpedo, registered as a player once again. The 50-year-old, who won Olympic bronze in 2002 and a Stanley Cup with the Lightning in 2004, hasn’t played competitive hockey since making four appearances with the Blackhawks in 2013-2014. However, under his new contract he could be involved with Torpedo in this season’s KHL. If that happens, he would become the oldest goalie to play in the league, breaking Dominik Hasek’s record. However, he would not be the oldest player – Vyacheslav Fetisov played a solitary game for CSKA in 2009, aged 51.

Imports on the move

Traktor was one of the busier teams on deadline day. Defenseman Madison Bowey, who began the season at Dinamo Minsk, left Chelyabinsk for Torpedo and his third KHL club of the season. To replace him, Grigory Dronov moved from Metallurg. Bowey’s departure enables Traktor to add another import, and forward Jack Rodewald arrived from Kunlun Red Star. Rodewald, 190cm of power forward, could be just the center that Anton Burdasov needs. KRS, meanwhile, also dipped into the market to acquire Thomas Schemitsch. The defenseman is currently at the Spengler Cup with Team Canada, but will join the Chinese team early in the New Year. Another new arrival sees forward Tanner Fritz join Dinamo Minsk. The 32-year-old Canadian has 42 NHL appearances for the Islanders but played most of his career to date in the AHL.

Moisevich stays unbeatable

SKA’s 19-year-old goalie Pavel Moisevich got another 20 minutes of game time on Dec. 30, making six saves in the third period of his team’s 4-0 win at home to Avtomobilist. Nothing hugely remarkable there, you might think. However, it keeps up the youngster’s impressive record of never allowing a goal in the KHL. So far, Moisevich has played 200 minutes, 25 seconds. That gives him the longest current KHL shut-out streak, plus a flawless (so far) record in the league. Who will be the first to score on him?

Sochi’s winless December

Sochi might be the team most eager for a change of fortune in the New Year. The Leopards could not manage a single win in December, suffering 10 losses in a row. Over that time, Dmitry Kokorev’s team allowed 50 goals – including an 8-3 loss at Avangard and 7-2 and 7-4 defeats against SKA and Dinamo Minsk. Sochi last tasted victory away to Amur on Nov. 26, picking up a 5-2 verdict after trailing 0-2 at the first intermission. Goaltending is a big issue. Mikhail Berdin picked up an injury six games ago, while Maxim Tretiak had to leave the Minsk game after just two minutes after suffering a knock of his own. His replacement, 20-year-old Nikita Tulinov, did not enjoy the happiest of KHL debuts.