Season preview: Sibir. Lyuzenkov’s first full season with Kuznetsov as his trump card

KHL.ru continues its club-by-club preview of the coming season. Sibir has a more youthful offense and extra experience on defense, raising hopes of a more consistent performance this term.

Last season

The 2025/2026 season was a real drama in Novosibirsk. Midway through the regular season, Sibir lay bottom of the Eastern Conference and only started to rise as the New Year approached. By that time, Yaroslav Lyuzenkov was already the third head coach of the campaign. After starting under Vadim Yepanchintsev, just four wins in the opening 10 games brought a change. Vyacheslav Butsayev stepped up but suffered a club record 11-game losing streak. Butsayev was replaced by Lyuzenkov, initially on an interim basis. The young coach masterminded an incredible climb from the basement into a playoff place, securing the job full-time. After finishing eighth in the standings, Sibir faced regular season champ Metallurg in the first round and lost the series 1-4.

Recruitment

Arrivals: 
Goalie: Denis Gabdrakhmanov (Rubin, VHL). Defensemen: Darren Dietz (Dinamo Minsk), Ivan Mishchenko (Amur), Maxim Osipov (Avtomobilist), Nikita Smirnov (Dynamo SPb, VHL). Forwards: Ivan Vorobyov (Amur), Yegor Korshkov (Traktor), Evgeny Kuznetsov (Salavat Yulaev), Daniil Lazutin (CSKA), Alexander Mirzabalayev (Magnitka, VHL), Sergei Popov (Sochi), Pavel Tyutnev (Metallurg). 

Departures: 
Goalie: Semyon Kokaulin Defensemen: Timur Akhiyarov (Sochi), Yegor Zaitsev, Chase Priskie (Barys), Andrei Churkin. Forwards: Andy Andreoff, Yegor Golovnyov (Traktor), Yegor Klimovich (Amur), Ivan Klimovich (Amur), Semyon Koshelev (Dragons), Vyacheslav Leshchenko, Andrei Loktionov, Valentin Pyanov (retired), Ilya Talaluyev, Sergei Shirokov (retired). 

Top 3 signings

Evgeny Kuznetsov

Kuznetsov is undoubtedly Sibir’s top signing of the summer. At first the club wanted to bring in an import to center the first line but in the end the management and head coach decided on the vastly-experienced Russian. At Sibir, Kuznetsov will be expected to lead his team. We can expect to see him get plenty of game time and key roles on and off the ice.

Darren Dietz

Dietz is an experienced defenseman who can join the attack effectively, quarterback the power play and also work on the penalty kill. In 2025/2026, playing for Dinamo Minsk, he had 23 (5+18) points with three power play goals.

Ivan Mishchenko

Mishchenko was a leader for Amur last season and had the best figures among the Tigers’ d-men. Like his Canadian colleague, he’s a two-way option capable of playing on the PP and PK. Last season Mishchenko was fourth in scoring on his team with 25 (6+19) points.

Coaching

Yaroslav Lyuzenkov’s successful debut in 2025/2026 immediately earned him a three-year contract with Sibir. That faith is justified by the way he got the team out of a black hole during the season. This will be Lyuzenkov’s first full season as a head coach in the KHL. It will also be his first experience of working with a player who has the profile of Evgeny Kuznetsov.

Goalies

Sibir is sticking with its tandem of Mikhail Berdin and Anton Krasotkin. The coaching staff have yet to decide which of these two will be first chance. In the off-season the club also added young Denis Gabdrakhmanov, who has already enjoyed some pre-season action. It seems likely he will get a chance at some point during the KHL season.

Defense

There are several new faces on defense, including Darren Dietz, Ivan Mishchenko and Maxim Osipov. Their arrivals make the back line more experienced. Dietz and Mishchenko are offense-minded players who will probably share time on the power play. Osipov is more of a stay-at-home, whose first task will be helping his goaltender.

Offense

Overall, Sibir’s offense is getting younger – as evidenced by the arrivals of Stepan Nikulin, Pavel Tyutnev, Alexander Mirzabalayev and Ivan Vorobyov. At the same time, there are also highly experienced additions like Yegor Korshkov and Evgeny Kuznetsov. The latter, for all his recent challenges, is well capable of at least 50 points a season. Last year’s break-out player Anton Kosolapov returns, and there will be greater expectations around the youngster this time. 

Youngsters

Alexander Pershakov can expect more of a role this season. Last year he featured in 32 games, averaging about seven minutes on the ice and picking up three points. Among the potential debutants, forward Matvei Nenakhov was productive last season. On defense, Daniil Volkov looks ready to step up and we might also see the powerfully-built Alexander Itkin.

Expectations

Sibir will hardly be happy with a repeat of last year’s situation when it had to battle out of the basement to scrape into the playoffs at the last. We can expect a more stable campaign this time, and comfortable qualification for the playoffs.