Top teams sign big. Top transfers

A busy transfer window has seen several intriguing moves across the leagues’ landscape. Jeremy Roy brings his offensive upside to CSKA, while Jack Rodewald joins a contending Salavat Yulaev squad. KHL.ru presents the top international moves of the week.

Jeremy Roy

From Vityaz to CSKA

The Canadian defenseman has been excellent over the last three seasons with Vityaz, with a steady production and 88 total points in 200 games. Now, the 28-years-old Quebec native will bring his strong two-way game to a much more ambitious team, CSKA. The Muscovites will be rebuilding  their team in the upcoming campaign, and Roy will be a key piece of the puzzle in the defensive lineup, and he will be expected to produce, especially with the man advantage. He signed a two-year deal with CSKA.

Jack Rodewald

From Admiral to Salavat Yulaev

A hard-working forward with plenty of experience in the league, the Ufa side opted to sign Rodewald after the struggles to retain its international players from the 2024-2025 campaign. The Winnipeg native lined up for Kunlun Red Star, Traktor, and Admiral in his KHL career, and will now try to become a key player for a higher-rated team, as Salavat Yulaev reached the semifinals stage last term, only surrendering to the eventual champion, Lokomotiv. Over three seasons in the league, Rodewald had 83 points, reaching a career-high 17 goals with Admiral in 2024-2025.

Jordan Gross

From Dinamo Minsk to Traktor

With Zach Fucale moving from Chelyabinsk to Belarus, defenseman Jordan Gross made the opposite move, inking a one-year deal with the Urals franchise. Gross, 30, had an excellent debut season in the league, reaching the 40-point mark from the blue line for the Bison, and logging in for high minutes in the postseason, where Dinamo Minsk lost to his future team. The Minnesota native is expected to take in a key role for Traktor on the blue line, along with his fellow American countryman Logan Day.

Jesse Blacker

From Avtomobilist to Avangard

The veteran defenseman opted to change jerseys after four seasons in Yekaterinbug, joining Avangard. Blacker is a member of the league since 2017, when he signed with Kunlun Red Star after a productive debut season in Germany. After one year with the Dragons, Blacker joined Barys, where he spent three seasons. He eventually picked up Kazakhstani citizenship and represented Kazakhstan on the international stage, competing in two World Championship. Blacker has more than 400 league appearances under his belt, and his leadership and experience will be helping Avangard improve his final positioning next season.

Troy Josephs

From Metallurg to HC Sochi

Joseph will enter his third season in the league with a new team after lining up for Lada and Metallurg last term. The Canadian forward, who also had stints in Norway and Switzerland in his career overseas, failed to repeat his excellent first season, when he netted 20 goals for Lada. Midway through the season, the forward was traded to Metallurg, but Magnitka suffered from a first-round exit after lifting the Cup in 2024. In Sochi, Josephs will be called to a more prominent role, where he will have another chance to showcase his goal-scoring ability.

Mac Hollowell

From Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins to Lokomotiv

Arguably, he is the most exciting and statistically impressive import to join the league this offseason. Over the past two years, Hollowell was part of the Rangers and Penguins systems and consistently stood out as a leader for their AHL affiliates. A fast and highly intelligent defenseman, he racks up most of his points through assists. It’s hard to picture Hollowell in Igor Nikitin’s rigid system, but Lokomotiv announced the newcomer almost simultaneously with the news of their head coach’s departure. Under a less conservative coach, the risk-taking Hollowell could bring more variety to Lokomotiv’s game and add new dimensions to their championship-caliber core.

David Farrance

From KooKoo (Finnish Liiga) to Sibir

The new Sibir signing, who came up through the U.S. National Development Program alongside Quinn Hughes, Brady Tkachuk, and Alexander Chmelevski, was once highly rated as a junior and ended up being selected in the third round of the NHL Draft. However, David Farrance only played two games for the team that selected him — the Nashville Predators.

He then went on playing at the collegiate level before mostly playing in the AHL. His move to Europe didn’t spark immediate success — his partial season in the German league didn’t quite come together. The same can't be said for his most recent year in Finland. Playing for KooKoo, the new Sibir defenseman tallied 37 points in 53 games. The only question now is whether he’ll serve as a replacement for Trevor Murphy or as a complement to the Canadian.

Derek Barach

From Vityaz to Metallurg

Vityaz, currently facing financial difficulties, continues to lose its top players. Unlike with Buchelnikov and Roy, however, the Moscow Region club wasn’t able to profit from Barach’s departure. The team’s leading goal scorer is moving to Magnitogorsk as an unrestricted free agent.

Last season, the 30-year-old center netted 21 goals — not only his personal best in the KHL, but the highest total of his entire professional career. That said, Barach did experience a prolonged goal drought in the second half of the season. Metallurg’s new signing is known for his excellent wrist shot and good speed. Barach may be a perfect fit for Andrei Razin’s system, which favors smaller, fast, and intelligent forwards.