SKA season preview: roster’s strengthening and a focus on the Cup
KHL.ru continues its club-by-club preview for the 2024-2025 season with a trip to St. Petersburg. SKA is placing a big bet on the 2024-2025 season — star players from the KHL and NHL have arrived in the town to help the club compete for the championship.
Last season
After two consecutive wins at the start of last season, SKA fell into a slump, suffering five losses in a row. However, after making several trades, the coaching staff was able to find the optimal lineup. By the end of the regular season, the St. Petersburg team was already contending for the Continental Cup. In the playoffs, SKA defeated Torpedo 4-1, but then lost to Avtomobilist 1-4.
Roster changes
Departures: goalies Sergei Ivanov (HC Sochi, loan), Johan Mattsson (Barys); defense Maxim Fedotov (HC Sochi, trade), Nikita Kamalov (Barys, trade), Arseny Koromyslov (Lada, loan), Mikhail Pashnin, Artyom Sergeyev (Dynamo Moscow); forwards Dmitry Buchelnikov (Vityaz, trade), Andrei Chivilyov (Vityaz, trade), Maxim Fedotov (HC Sochi, trade), Alex Galchenyuk (Amur), Svyatoslav Grebenshchikov (SKA-Neva, VHL), Alexander Kadeikin (Traktor), Brendan Leipsic (Avtomobilist), Matvei Michkov (Philadelphia Flyers, NHL), Artyom Shvets-Rogovoi (Dynamo Moscow), Stepan Starkov (Admiral, trade).
Arrivals: defense Nikita Zaitsev (Chicago Blackhawks, NHL), Nikita Smirnov (Dinamo Minsk, return from loan); offense Sergei Andronov (Lokomotiv), Mikhail Grigorenko (CSKA), Evgeny Kuznetsov (Carolina Hurricanes, NHL), Sergei Plotnikov (CSKA).
Top 3 signings
Evgeny Kuznetsov
Evgeny Kuznetsov’s transfer to SKA became the most high-profile move of the offseason. The star player, a product of Traktor’s system, returned to Russia after ten years of playing overseas, during which he played 840 NHL games, produced 648 points (206 goals, 442 assists), and won a Stanley Cup with the Washington Capitals.
Mikhail Grigorenko
Three-time Gagarin Cup winner with CSKA, Mikhail Grigorenko, is an exceptional sniper and finisher, equally effective both at even strength and on the power play. During his time with the Muscovites, he played 410 games and recorded 323 points (150 goals, 173 assists), making him CSKA’s top scorer in KHL history.
Nikita Zaitsev
Nikita Zaitsev also bolstered SKA’s defense. In the KHL, Zaitsev has played 368 games, with 119 points (39 goals, 80 assists) for Sibir and CSKA, with whom he lifted the Gagarin Cup twice. Over the last eight seasons, he played in the NHL, amassing 120 points (22 goals, 98 assists) in 500 games with the Toronto Maple Leafs, Ottawa Senators, and Chicago Blackhawks.
Coaching
The upcoming season will be Roman Rotenberg’s third full season as SKA’s head coach. Over the course of his career, the 43-year-old coach has led 187 KHL games, with his team winning 126 of them, resulting in a 70.7% win rate. His highest achievements so far include reaching the Gagarin Cup semifinals in both 2022 and 2023.
Goalies
SKA boasts an excellent set of goalies. The expected starter is Nikita Serebryakov, the best goaltender of the 2022-2023 season. He is supported by young and highly talented goalies Artemy Pleshkov and Pavel Moiseyevich. The 19-year-old Moiseyevich set a record last season for the longest shutout streak at the start of a season and the beginning of a KHL career, with 242 minutes and 55 seconds.
Defense
SKA’s defensive line has undergone significant changes. Artyom Sergeyev, Mikhail Pashnin, Nikita Kamalov, and Maxim Fedotov have all left the club. Additionally, Arseny Koromyslov was loaned out to Lada. These losses are expected to be offset by Nikita Zaitsev and the return of 21-year-old Nikita Smirnov from his loan in Minsk.
Despite Zaitsev’s arrival, the biggest star in SKA’s defense is now Alexander Nikishin. One of the top defensemen in the KHL, Nikishin plays a crucial role for the team and has recorded at least 55 points in two consecutive seasons.
Offense
The forward lineup has also been significantly shortened. On the one hand, managing such a roster should be easier, but on the other, the coaching staff loses some of the flexibility that has become customary in St. Petersburg. Among the ten forwards who left the club are Alexander Galchenyuk and Alexander Kadeykin. Dmitry Buchelnikov and Matvei Michkov, who returned from loans last season, will also not be playing for SKA — Buchelnikov was traded to Vityaz, and Michkov has set his sights on the NHL.
However, SKA’s key players remain. Vasily Glotov, Arseny Gritsyuk, Sergei Tolchinsky, and Marat Khairullin will continue to represent the club. Joining them this offseason are Sergei Andronov, Mikhail Grigorenko, Evgeny Kuznetsov, and Sergei Plotnikov — all players of significant caliber.
Young players
In the 2024-2025 season, Ivan Demidov’s full-fledged debut in the KHL is highly anticipated. The 18-year-old forward has been unstoppable in the MHL! During the 2022-2023 season, he amassed a total of 77 points, and in the most recent championship, he recorded 60 (23+37) points in the regular season and an additional 28 (11+17) in the playoffs, helping SKA-1946 secure the Kharlamov Cup. So far, Demidov has played just six KHL games, averaging seven and a half minutes on the ice per game — it seems the time has come to give Ivan more opportunities.
Among the young players who regularly featured for SKA during the 2023-2024 season, notable mentions include defenseman Ivan Vydrenkov (20 years old, 15 games, 0+1) and forwards Ivan Zinchenko (22 years old, 33 games, 4+4) and Semyon Sinyatkin (20 years old, 12 games, 1+1). With the new season’s opportunities, they will have even more chances to prove themselves.
What to expect
Although SKA’s roster has undergone significant changes, it’s unlikely that the team will take long to gel. After all, top-tier players have joined the squad, ready to quickly adapt to the new conditions. The team has great potential — SKA can realistically aim for a top-3 finish in the Western Conference during the regular season. However, in the playoffs, any outcome short of reaching the Gagarin Cup finals would likely be seen as disappointing.
