Spooner, Macek, Wilson and the others. Top forward UFAs

KHL.ru talks about the top forwards who can test the market this summer as unrestricted free agents.

As of Apr 28, 2024, these players have not yet extended their contracts with their current clubs, which means they may well change teams.

Ryan Spooner (Avangard)

Spooners’ fifth season in the league was also his best, with a career-high 61 (23+38) points in the regular season and another 6 (1+5) in ten games in the elimination stage. Other than lining up with the Hawks, Spooner has also played for Dinamo Minsk and Avtomobilist. The playmaking center will most likely be sought after by several top teams in the league.

Brooks Macek (Avtomobilist)

After five seasons in Yekaterinburg, it’s likely that Macek will have to find himself a new workplace for the next year. The German international always posted excellent numbers in the regular season with the Motormen, but didn’t show his best hockey in this year’s deep run in the elimination stage, netting only one goal and adding six helpers in 17 games. However, his skills and work ethic are undeniable, and certainly he won’t stay without a club for long.

Curtis Valk (Avtomobilist)

Valk has been playing in the KHL for six years now. For the first four seasons, he represented Barys (also obtaining Kazakhstani citizenship), then moved to Avtomobilist. In Yekaterinburg, he maintained his production, accumulating a total of 84 points over two seasons. Similarly to Macek, he had one goal and six assists in the playoffs, but playing two fewer games.

Scott Wilson (Vityaz)

Scott Wilson, a Stanley Cup winner, quickly adapted to the KHL and became a key player in the League within two seasons. Wilson missed part of the 2023-2024 season due to injury and played only 38 games, but even so, he scored 30 (20+10) points. In total, he has accumulated 71 (42+29) points in 109 games in the League.

Alexander Chmelevski (Salavat Yulaev)

The productive forward spent his last couple of seasons in Ufa, potting 30 and 29 goals, respectively, making him one of the most sought-after players in the offseason. However, everything hints that Chmelevski will most likely sign back with Salavat Yulaev should he not get a contract in North America this offseason. Several league’s clubs, however, will closely observe the situation.

Josh Leivo (Salavat Yulaev)

Leivo’s situation is similar to Chmelevski’s – it looks like that he will be back in Ufa next year, but there’s no signature yet, meaning that anything can happen. Leivo’s first season in the league has been a success, with 38 (15+23) points in the regular season and a league-leading nine points in the first round series against Traktor, which Salavat Yulaev lost in six games.

Yegor Korshkov (Amur)

Yegor Korshkov will definitely continue his career not in Khabarovsk, as the club’s general manager Vadim Pokotylo has already stated. Perhaps Korshkov is one of the most valuable lots on the market. In the Far East, the forward not only revived his career but also had his best season in the KHL, with 44 (15+29) points in the regular season and another 3 (2+1) in the series against the future champion Metallurg – a serious argument in favor of Korshkov, his skills will be useful to any team in the League.

Mikhail Grigorenko (CSKA)

It is quite likely that Grigorenko will change teams for the first time in his KHL career. Mikhail is the top sniper in CSKA’s history in the League with 150 goals. Additionally, he leads by a wide margin among players of the Moscow-based club in power play goals (50).

Alexander Radulov (Ak Bars)

Alexander Radulov needs no special introduction. The third top scorer in KHL history (701 points) spent the latest couple of seasons in Kazan. In the first, he contributed 57 (25+32) points in the regular season and another 19 (9+10) in the playoffs, seriously contending for the title of Gagarin Cup MVP. The second season was less productive, with 40 (16+24) points in the regular season and 4 (1+3) in the playoffs.

Nikita Gusev (Dynamo Moscow)

Although Dynamo’s boards has stated that negotiations with Gusev are going smoothly, a couple of days before the opening of the market, the contract has not yet been officially signed, which gives us the right to include the top scorer in this list. Gusev truly flourished under Alexei Kudashov’s guidance – his record-breaking 89 (23+66) points in the regular season and another 10 (3+7) in the playoffs (despite playing with an injury!) are impressive. Muscovites clearly will not want to miss out on a player of such caliber, but who knows, maybe other top clubs will also try to snatch Gusev?