Imports return, forward closes on landmark
After the New Year break, two KHL teams announced high-profile imports were rejoining – while another placed a big-name forward on waivers. Elsewhere, we’re two away from seeing the first player to reach 1,000 points in the KHL, and it could happen at his hometown club on Thursday.
Kuznetsov on waivers
Metallurg has placed forward Evgeny Kuznetsov on waivers. The 33-year-old, who won the Stanley Cup with the Capitals in 2018, joined the club in the fall but struggled for form and fitness on Andrei Razin’s team. He has played 15 games this season, scoring just one goal and adding eight assists. The Chelyabinsk native played 11 seasons in the NHL before returning to Russia last season to play for SKA.
500 assists for Radulov
Lokomotiv’s forward Alexander Radulov became the third player to contribute 500 KHL assists. He contributed to Maxim Beryozkin’s winner over Torpedo on Dec. 30 to reach that landmark. Previously, Sergei Mozyakin and Vadim Shipachyov cleared that landmark. Loko’s 1-0 win also brought a 30th KHL shut-out for Daniil Isayev.
Shipachyov closes on millennium
Vadim Shipachyov is now just two points away from reaching 1,000 in the KHL. He had a goal and an assist as his Dinamo Minsk team fell to an overtime loss at Salavat Yulaev in its first game of 2026. Shipachyov has two chances to get there this week: Dinamo plays at CSKA on Tuesday, then at his first club Severstal on Thursday.
Bratash takes charge at Admiral
Oleg Bratash is the new head coach in Vladivostok. The 59-year-old former goaltender replaces Leonids Tambijevs, who was dismissed late last year. Bratash is best known for his work within Team Russia’s system: he spent several seasons working with the U20s and Russia II. In 2023/2024 he took charge of Lada on the Motormen’s return to the KHL and led the team to the playoffs. He left the club in Nov. 2024 and began this season a head coach at Buran Voronezh in the VHL.
Ho-Sang heads back to Ufa
Josh Ho-Sang has unfinished business in the KHL. The Canadian managed just five games in an injury-hit season with Salavat Yulaev in 2022/2023. Since then, he has been short of game time, spending two seasons with the Florida Everblades in the ECHL but managing just 17 regular season games and 22 more in the playoffs. Last week the 2022 Olympian agreed a return to Ufa on a two-way contract. Still on 29, if he can prove his fitness, he could prove an eye-catching addition to Viktor Kozlov’s offense.
Andreoff returns to Siberia
Another import is heading back to Sibir. Andy Andreoff, 34, signed up until the end of next season after beginning this campaign in Switzerland. The American, who played 188 NHL games, has already spent two seasons in Novosibirsk. He has a total of 137 games for 81 (51+30) points. This season he played 19 games for Zurich Lions, scoring two goals and one assist.
13-goal epic
The New Year began with a goal rush. The first gameday produced a 10-goal game as Metallurg won 7-3 at Shanghai Dragons. But day two topped that, with Spartak getting a 7-6 win at Torpedo. The action was relentless – as well as 13 goals the teams shared 38 penalty minutes and nine of the goals came on the power play. Spartak twice trailed by two and only got in front in the 58th minute thanks to Mikhail Maltsev – but that turned out to be the gamewinner in a memorable evening in Nizhny Novgorod.
