Traktor, Admiral find starting goalies. Top transfers

Traktor finds a substitute for Fucale, while Admiral returns a Slovak goalie to the league. Neftekhimik inks a new deal with one of last year’s top scorers.

Chris Driedger

From Manitoba Moose to Traktor

After losing Zach Fucale to Dinamo Minsk, the runner-up needed to strengthen its goaltending lineup and sign a substitute, and found him in Chris Driedger. The 31-year-old native of Winnipeg has great experience with 70 NHL games under his belt and more than 200 appearances in the AHL. Originally drafted by the Ottawa Senators, he also played in the NHL for the Florida Panthers and the Seattle Kraken. Moreover, he was the starting netminder for Team Canada at the 2022 World Championship in Finland, returning home with a silver medal. He’s one year older than Fucale, and will be called to have the same impact – expectations will be high on him.

Adam Huska

From HC Lugano (Swiss National League) to Admiral

Another team who looked at the international market to cover its needs between the piping is Admiral. The Far East franchise had an excellent showing from Andrei Mishurov last year, but he was on a loan spell from Avangard and returned to Omsk. The choice fell on Adam Huska. The Slovak goalie had already played in the KHL, spending two seasons with Torpedo, where he played more than 70 games, posting three shutouts. Last year, he lined up for HC Lugano in the Swiss National League, helping the Ticino side avoid relegation. Other than his two-year stint in Nizhny Novgorod, Huska boasts a big experience in the international stage, having represented his country on several occasions, including the most recent World Championship in Sweden and Denmark. In Vladivostok, he will rejoin his fellow countrymate Mario Grman.

Devin Brosseau

From Amur to Dynamo Moscow

The Blue-and-Whites opted for forward is 29-year-old Devin Brosseau to make up for a few players who left the team in the current offseason. His 23 goals during the 2023-2024 season made him Kunlun’s top goal scorer by a wide margin. The first Russian club to show interest in the Canadian "Dragon" was Amur. However, during a turbulent season in Khabarovsk, Brosseau’s production dropped to thirteen tallies. Still, with higher-caliber teammates, he has the potential to return to his previous form. It will be the fourth season in the league for the Quebec-native player, who also played in Austria other than his native North America.

Frederik Claesson

From CSKA to Dynamo Moscow

In addition to signing Canadian forward Brosseau, Dynamo Moscow also reached an agreement with Fredrik Claesson. The Swedish defenseman spent the past three seasons with CSKA. He originally joined the Moscow club as a replacement for fellow Swede Klas Dahlbeck. While Claesson wasn’t as physically imposing as his predecessor, both Scandinavian blueliners focused primarily on defending their own net.

Last season, Claesson saw significant time on the penalty kill, ranked third among CSKA defensemen in hits, and fourth in blocked shots. A player of his profile is exactly what Dynamo needs, especially considering that Alexei Kudashov’s roster already includes several offensively minded defensemen such as Igor Ozhiganov, Brennan Menell, and Daniil Pylenkov, who recently extended his contract. Claesson’s signing becomes even more important given that Anton Sizov left the team earlier in the offseason.

Jean-Sebastien Dea

New contract with Neftekhimik

The Canadian forward will enter his third season in the league after renewing his ties with Neftekhimik following a strong 2024-2025 season. Dea, who turned 31 in February, had sixteen goals and thirty-one points for the Wolves after joining the team in December 2023 after eighteen games with Metallurg. It’s a strong move for Neftekhimik, who will be changing head coaches after Oleg Leontyev left the team and former Spartak’s bench boss Igor Grishin will lead the squad in the 2025-2026 campaign. For now, the Wolves have only Dea and defenseman Luka Profaca as imports.