Semi-finals reaching climax

After two rounds of very close series, the Gagarin Cup semi-finals have – so far – seen more dominant performances. Both could be settled in five games and it’s possible that the outcome will guarantee a new name on the big trophy.

Loko, Traktor one game away

The 2025 Gagarin Cup semi-finals are four games in – and both are set at 3-1. Lokomotiv dropped its opener at home to Salavat Yulaev but responded by reeling off three wins in a row, including two on the road. Thus, last year’s runner-up is one game away from returning to the Grand Final. However, Ufa fans can point to the previous round: against Avangard, Loko’s first four games followed the same pattern before the Hawks hit back to take it to game seven.

The other series sees Traktor up 3-1 on Dynamo Moscow. Here, Benoit Groulx’s team leapt to a 3-0 lead and was on course to make it two sweeps in two seasons against the Blue-and-Whites. But Dynamo hit back in game four, winning 3-1 to take the series back to Chelyabinsk. 

A new champion?

Should Lokomotiv and Traktor secure their progress to the final, it will guarantee a new Gagarin Cup winner for the first time since CSKA in 2019. Both teams have reached the final before – Loko lost to Ak Bars in the inaugural KHL season and was back last year, Traktor fell to Dynamo in 2013 – but neither has won the cup. Loko has won two Russian championships, most recently in 2003, while Chelyabinsk has never been national champ. It would also be the first time the final was contested by the regular season conference winners. 

Salavat’s scoring stars fall silent

Much of Lokomotiv’s success in the current series against Salavat Yulaev stems from keeping Ufa’s free-scoring imports quiet. The three leading post-season scorers after the second round, Sheldon Rempal, Josh Leivo and Scott Wilson, have contributed just two assists in the semi-final. Leivo had to miss two games, while Wilson has yet to score on Loko. As a result, Traktor’s Maxim Shabanov has moved up to second in playoff scoring with 16 points, four behind Rempal. Along the way, he moved to 100 KHL assists.

CSKA fires coaching staff

After crashing out of the 2025 playoffs in the first round, CSKA acted quickly to terminate the contracts of its coaching staff. Head coach Ilya Vorobyov and his team were dismissed last Tuesday. A club statement said they had failed to achieve the goals set for them this season. Vorobyov, 50, took charge in Moscow last summer following the departure of two-time Gagarin Cup winner Sergei Fedorov. Vorobyov has his own cup success, winning with Metallurg as an assistant in 2014 then as head coach in 2016. He has also helmed SKA and the Russian national team. However, after overseeing a first-round loss to Dinamo Minsk, he and his coaching colleagues were dismissed. 

And Kravets leaves Kunlun

Mikhail Kravets is another head coach who won’t be returning to his post next season. Kunlun Red Star opted not to take up its option of a second year on his contract after the Dragons failed to make the playoffs. Kravets took charge of Red Star last summer and led the team to ninth in the Western Conference, winning 28 out of 68 games. Along the way, Kunlun recorded a club record seven-game winning streak.

Start date confirmed

It’s still some way off, but the start date for the 2025/2026 season is set. The Opening Cup, a rematch of the Gagarin Cup final hosted by the defending champion, will kick off the 17th KHL season on Friday, Sep. 5. Full details of next season’s timetable will be announced next month. 

Macek stays in Yekaterinburg

Avtomobilist extended Brooks Macek’s contract for another year. The German international has played his entire KHL career in Yekaterinburg, joining the Motormen in 2019. This season he had 51 (27+24) points in 75 games, and his career tally is 273 (147+126) from 396 games. 

International action in Astana

Kazakhstan hosted Russia-25 and Belarus in a three-team tournament as part of its preparations for the 2025 IIHF World Championship. The opening game saw the Russians beat the host 4-1. Danil Aimurzin (Severstal), Mikhail Vorobyov (SKA) and Ruslan Iskhakov (CSKA) all had two points; Alikhan Asetov got the Kazakhs’ consolation goal. Day two saw Belarus beat the Russians 4-2. An early Andrei Belevich (Dinamo Minsk) goal put the Belarusians in front, then Ivan Drozdov (CSKA) and Sergei Kuznetsov (Dinamo Minsk) padded the lead to 3-0 in the second period. Aimurzin again picked up 1+1 as Russia hit back in the third, but his Severstal team-mate Alexander Skorenov matched that return.

The final game of the weekend in Astana saw Belarus beat Kazakhstan 2-0 on goals from Skorenov and Vadim Moroz.