Lokomotiv season preview: progressing youth and Radulov

KHL.ru keeps on previewing the 2023-2024 season for the league’s clubs. Over the course of last season, Lokomotiv gradually gained momentum, and by the end, they were performing so well that even the unexpected shutout loss in the finals didn’t significantly dampen the overall impression. Currently, there don’t seem to be any objective reasons that could prevent the Railwaymen from repeating this path, perhaps even with a more successful finish.

Last season

Lokomotiv finished the regular season in third place in the Western Conference for the second year in a row, and advanced much further in the playoffs than before — reaching the finals. And their progress was very strong: Yaroslavl was considered one of the main contenders for the Gagarin Cup from the start of the season, and as they advanced through the stages, they only solidified this role, ultimately becoming the outright favorites by the time they reached the finals.

However, the final series didn’t go as predicted. The Railwaymen not only lost the series but failed to win a single game. Nevertheless, it’s worth noting that all four losses were by the narrowest of margins, and in each game, Lokomotiv came up just short.

Roster changes

Departures: goalies Ivan Bocharov (Torpedo), Sergei Murashov (Pittsburgh Penguins, NHL); defense Roman Bychkov (Spartak, trade); offense Yegor Averin, Sergei Andronov (CSKA), Ivan Chekhovich, Alexander Perevalov (Avangard, trade).

Arrivals: offense Byron Froese (Henderson Silver Knights (AHL), Alexander Radulov (Ak Bars).

Lokomotiv certainly didn’t need any major changes, and the much-discussed targeted reinforcement was useful but not essential in Yaroslavl’s case; everything was already in good shape (aside from the outcome of the final series, which could have gone differently had Lokomotiv had a shorter break after the semifinals). These targeted reinforcements came in the form of Alexander Radulov and Byron Froese, who will bring both experience and pure hockey skill to Lokomotiv. This is where the roster additions end. However, it seems that another goaltender wouldn’t hurt, something that will be discussed later.

Coaching

Igor Nikitin rightfully belongs to the elite ranks of KHL coaches, both among current coaches and in the league's history overall. His loss in the final, which marked his third, doesn’t change this status. The style of hockey under Nikitin may be a matter of personal preference, but it consistently delivers results, and it’s the results that define a coach’s success.

Heading into the new season, Nikitin carries an impressive record of 595 games (the sixth-highest in league history and second among active coaches) and 395 wins (fourth overall and second among active coaches). His win percentage (66.39%) is the best among active coaches and the second-highest in history for those who have coached at least 200 games, only slightly behind Vyacheslav Bykov by just over two percentage points.

Goalies

Daniil Isayev is one of the top goaltenders in the league, and there are no questions about his performance. However, with the departure of Ivan Bocharov and especially Sergei Murashov, there are concerns about the backup role, as Alexei Melnichuk hasn’t looked very convincing in that position. Last season, he played only three full games (against Vityaz, Admiral, and Neftekhimik) plus an incomplete period against Sochi.

Defense

Isayev receives significant support from the defensemen (and the forwards, for that matter). In the last regular season, Yaroslavl conceded only 139 goals, tying with SKA for the best record in this category. There have been virtually no losses in this area (Roman Bychkov, who was traded to Spartak, played only ten games), so nothing is expected to change regarding Lokomotiv’s defensive solidity in the new season.

Offense

No significant losses are expected in the offense either. It’s clear that Froese is a direct replacement for Sergei Andronov, and Yegor Averin and Ivan Chekhovich played secondary roles with limited impact. Despite the persistent stereotype of Lokomotiv playing closed hockey, there is no shortage of dynamic forwards, and Radulov — even at 38 years old — will only add more flair.

In the preseason, Nikitin combined both newcomers into one line and added 19-year-old Daniil But (who, by the way, often played alongside Andronov and Averin last season), and the result was very cohesive — both effective and impressive. The other line combinations are already well-established.

Young players

Continuing the discussion about established stereotypes, much has been said over the past five months about Metallurg becoming the youngest team in history to win the Gagarin Cup. And that is indeed true. What isn’t true, however, is the narrative that somehow attached itself to this final series as a battle between youth (Metallurg) and experience (Lokomotiv). In reality, Yaroslavl’s average age was only 28 days older — practically making them peer teams. Now, everyone is a year older, and four excellent forwards (Maxim Beryozkin, Yaroslav Likhachyov, Stepan Nikulin, and Daniil Tesanov) will no longer be classified as under 23. Nevertheless, there is still more interesting young talent here than in many other teams: in the offense, there’s the already mentioned But, along with Nikita Kiryanov and Yegor Surin; in defense, there’s Raul Akmaldinov, Alexei Kozhevnikov, Dmitry Simashev, and Mark Ulyev.

Nikitin has already given all of them some playtime in the KHL to varying degrees, and he will allow them to continue developing. And considering the potential backup goalie issue, it’s worth keeping an eye on goalies from the two MHL teams and Molot, such as 20-year-old Maxim Maiorov.

What to expect

Just like last year, Lokomotiv seems to be a team without obvious weaknesses, and the tournament expectations are in line with that. In fact, they’re even higher this time, because nearly all the players have matured over the past year rather than just getting older; and Radulov will add some kind of bonus to the team. What kind of bonus exactly is unknown — it could be significant, or maybe not — but it’s a plus in any case, not a minus. It seems likely that under no circumstances will Lokomotiv drop below third place in the conference, and they will probably compete for first. A trip to the finals is almost implied, although given the increasing unpredictability each year, making predictions in the summer for the outcome of a relatively short spring tournament is a thankless task.