Season review: Spartak. Uneven regular season, competitive playoff
KHL.ru continues its club-by-club review of the 2025/2026 season. Spartak was inconsistent during the regular season and finished eight in the West. However, in the playoffs the Muscovites put up a good fight against Lokomotiv.
Statistically, the 20252026 season was Spartak’s worst under head coach Alexei Zhamnov: 35 wins in the regular season, 204 goals scored, eighth place in the West and a first-round playoff exit against eventual champion Lokomotiv. The two previous seasons brought more wins (40 and 39 respectively), goals (233 and 221), and saw the Red-and-Whites progress to the second round of the playoffs.
Inconsistency was the big issue. There was never a significant winning streak and often a good win was followed by a disappointing loss. For example, in October a gala performance to claw back a three-goal deficit and beat Dragons 7-6 in a shootout was followed with a 0-5 derby drubbing from Dynamo Moscow.
Alexei Zhamnov often insisted that Spartak needed to play the full 60 minutes. That familiar phrase could be updated to suggest that Spartak needed to play the full 68 games. It felt that the Red-and-Whites lacked the stamina to go the whole distance. There were several reasons for this. For a time the team was hit by Ivan Morozov’s suspension, then came the questionable decision to trade Nathan Todd to Ak Bars. Add in the departure of Adam Ruzicka and Zhamnov’s short-term absence for health reasons and there were several fires for the team to fight.
Throughout the season, Spartak hovered around midtable and eventually finished eighth in the Western Conference after three successive shoot-out losses. But a playoff meeting with Lokomotiv invigorated the team. Despite losing the first-round series in five games, the team produced aggressive performances full of character. The Muscovites built two-goal leads in the first and fifth games, won the second and took the third to overtime. Only game four proved fairly straightforward for Lokomotiv.
“We saw the potential of this team,” Alexei Zhamnov said later. “The guys understood what it meant to be the playoffs. I’ve no complaints, everybody did what they could. That’s the kind of hockey we need to play throughout the season.”
Best players
Maltsev’s season started slowly. He didn’t get his first point until game five, and his first goal arrived just over a month into the campaign. But then he found his form, going on to play 71 games and led the team in scoring with 46 (18+26) points. Maltsev completed more hits than his fellow forwards (91) and did well on the draw (421/779, 54%).
Orlov, 22, is progressing at an incredible rate. This season he finished with 30 (10+20) points, making him the second most productive defenseman behind Joey Keane. Outscored but not outclassed, Orlov’s plus/minus was better than Keane’s, had more power play goals and more hits (54 vs 28), while blocking 82 shots against Keane’s 54. In post season, Orlov led the team in ice time (22:45).
With 22 goals, this summer signing was Spartak’s best forward. He potted 21 in the regular season and added another in final game of the playoffs. And were it not for an untimely cold snap in March Nikita might have scored even more. But during that month he was clearly out of sorts and went 10 games without a point.
Coaching
Alexei Zhamnov missed part of the season for health reasons. In the regular championship he took charge of 52 games, winning 26 and compiling 61 points. That makes him Spartak’s leading head coach in the KHL era with 215 games and 119 wins.
“This season gave plenty of food for thought,” he said. “We need to learn those lessons and understand where we are going. There were mistakes on my part. I’ve learned from that and I’m changing things ahead of next season.”
Alexander Barkov stepped up to replace Zhamnov during his illness. A year earlier his led Spartak’s juniors to the Kharlamov Cup. This time, he won nine of his 16 games as interim head coach in the KHL.
Best game
Year after year, Spartak serves up some unforgettable Moscow derbies. In 2025/2026, the most memorable game was the short trip to CSKA on Sep. 16. Daniil Orlov quickly opened the scoring but by the midway point CSKA built a 4-1 lead, helped by a power play goal and a shorthanded tally. Nikita Korostelyov pulled one back, but Daniel Sprong completed his hat-trick to restore the home team’s three-goal lead. But Spartak kept battling and clawed back the deficit. Korostelyov and Joey Keane finished with two goals each to save the game, and Spartak celebrated victory in the shoot-out.
Young players
Almost 15 U23 players featured for Spartak in 2025/2026. Some had prior KHL experience while others, such as leading juniors Maxim Filimonov and Alexander Plesovskikh, were making their senior debuts.
While Orlov was the stand-out on defense, Danil Pivchulin was the most impressive offensive prospect. His first full KHL season yielded 31 (14+17) points and he saw time on PP and PK. Pivchulin’s overtime goal secured Spartak’s only playoff win of the season.
Offseason work
It would be hard to say that the Red-and-Whites have been hugely active on the market. Last season’s core has been retained, several key contracts were extended and ongoing work is carefully targeted. Among the departures, goalie Alexander Georgiyev is hoping to return to North America but Spartak retains his KHL rights. So far, Dmitry Vishnevsky has yet to sign a new contract, although rumor has it that the defenseman will remain with the club.
The most interesting new acquisitions came from Amur, with Alex Galchenyuk and Evgeny Svechnikov heading to Moscow. The Red-and-Whites also added Fyodor Abramov from Sochi and young Zhoe Kristof Miussu from Neftekhimik. Experienced defenseman Alexander Bryntsev, late of Shanghai Dragons, is another arrival.
