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Season preview: SKA. Atanasov reunites with Larionov, Bardakov and Glotov return
KHL.ru looks at the state of the League’s clubs as they prepare for the start of the new season. SKA have assembled an impressive roster tailored to Igor Larionov’s style of play and are ready to break a two-year tradition of first-round playoff exits.
Last Season
There were major changes at the St. Petersburg club in 2025. The management changed, with Igor Larionov taking over as head coach. The roster also underwent a significant overhaul: 20 players left, while nine arrived before the start of the season.
It took SKA time to find a style of play that could deliver results. Two months into the regular season, the St. Petersburg side was outside the Western Conference’s top eight in ninth place. Larionov’s team eventually climbed back into the playoff positions, but consistency remained elusive, with strong stretches followed by less convincing ones. Still, SKA performed well overall in the final couple of months of the regular season and managed to overtake their rivals down the stretch. Level on points with Dynamo Moscow and Torpedo, SKA edged both teams on the tiebreakers to finish fifth in the conference.
In the first round, SKA faced their perennial playoff rivals, CSKA. History was not on St. Petersburg’s side: the previous six confrontations in the playoffs had all ended with the Moscow side advancing. The same happened again. After losing both road games (2:3 OT, 2:4), Larionov’s team won one game at home (1:0) but could offer little more to their opponents. CSKA won Games Five and Six (4:2, 6:2), and SKA’s season ended in the Gagarin Cup Round of 16 for the second consecutive year.
Recruitement
Arrivals:
Defensemen: Arseny Varlakov (Torpedo, trade), Nikolai Knyzhov (Abbotsford, AHL), Alexei Maklyukov (Metallurg, trade), Daniil Miromanov (Calgary, NHL), Vladislav Syomin (Lada). Forwards: Danil Aimurzin (Severstal, trade), Vasily Atanasov (Torpedo, trade), Zakhar Bardakov (Colorado, NHL), Linus Weissbach (Frolunda, Sweden), Vasily Glotov (Traktor), Nikolai Chebykin (Severstal).
Departures:
Goalies: Yegor Zavragin (Metallurg, trade), Pavel Moiseyev (Vegas, NHL). Defensemen: Ivan Vydrenkov (Traktor, trade), Danila Galenyuk (Amur, trade), Maxim A. Gusev (Severstal, trade), Yegor Zelenov (Metallurg, trade), Pavel Koledov (Shanghai Dragons), Brennan Menell (Shanghai Dragons), Marcus Phillips. Forwards: Joseph Blandisi (Salavat Yulaev, trade), Mikhail S. Vorobyov (Torpedo), Yegor Gurzanov, Semyon Demidov (Amur, trade), Brendan Leipsic, Matvei Polyakov (Torpedo, trade), Marat Khairullin (CSKA).
Top 3 Signings
Severstal’s leading player over the past three seasons joined SKA in a trade. By KHL standards, this is a blockbuster acquisition: Aimurzin has recorded 40+ points in the regular season for three consecutive years, with his best campaign coming in 2024-2025, when he collected 57 (31+26) points in 66 regular-season games. Danil can either set up a teammate with a clever pass or finish the play himself, contributes on the power play and is also solid in the faceoff circle, winning around 50% of his draws on average throughout his KHL career. A Russian center in the prime of his career, the 24-year-old forward is sure to earn a spot in SKA’s top six this season.
One of the League’s most exciting young players of recent years is returning to a coach he knows well. It was under Larionov that Vasily truly established himself in the KHL and enjoyed the best season of his career, recording 19 goals and 21 assists in 46 games. Atanasov did not perform at the level expected of him with Torpedo last season. In St. Petersburg, however, he is likely to receive the full confidence of the coaching staff – and those are the conditions in which a creative forward like Vasily can truly shine.
A Gagarin Cup winner, leader and captain of Metallurg, Maklyukov is a major addition to SKA’s blue line. During his time in Magnitogorsk, he was virtually an ever-present over the past four seasons, logging heavy minutes and handling the lion’s share of the team’s penalty-killing duties. SKA may also be counting on Alexei to provide leadership in the locker room, something a relatively young team needs badly.
Coaching
The upcoming season will be Igor Larionov’s second in charge of SKA. Even at a major club, he has not strayed from his principles, instilling a possession-based, attacking style of hockey in his team. So far, however, SKA’s game has been some way from the best versions of Larionov’s Torpedo, and the results have not been particularly impressive either: a first-round exit can hardly be considered a success.
Of course, a championship-caliber team cannot be built in a single season, especially considering the scale of the changes SKA underwent last summer. Now, though, expectations are clearly higher for Larionov, both in the regular season and the playoffs. Much will depend on the coach and his staff: can they turn a group of talented players into a competitive team while staying true to their hockey philosophy?
Goalies
Under the previous management, SKA assembled several talented young goalies within their system. At times, it was difficult to tell who was the team’s number one, two, or three. Last season, for example, Sergei Ivanov played 31 games, Artemy Pleshkov appeared in 35 and Yegor Zavragin featured in 12, while Pavel Moiseyev played roughly a quarter of the team’s games (18) the previous season.
There is more clarity now. Ivanov and Pleshkov remain with the team and could share the workload more or less evenly, while one of the younger prospects is likely to serve as the third option between the piping.
Defense
SKA’s blue line looks impressive on paper. Maklyukov, Vladislav Syomin, Nikolai Knyzhov and Daniil Miromanov have all strengthened the defensive corps, and all four could contend for spots in the top two pairings. Andrei Pedan has extended his contract, while Nikita Zaitsev, Sergei Sapego and Yegor Savikov remain under contract.
The main concern is the injury to Trevor Murphy, who faces a lengthy recovery. The Canadian defenseman was SKA’s first option on the power play and in key situations last season. Can Larionov find a replacement for Murphy from within the team’s existing ranks?
Forwards
There have been plenty of changes up front as well, and it will be interesting to see how SKA’s coaching staff finds room in the lineup for both the team’s established leaders and the newcomers. Aimurzin, Atanasov and Vasily Glotov are all top-six players, skilled and creative forwards. Zakhar Bardakov, who has returned to St. Petersburg, could fit into the third or fourth line, as could Nikolai Chebykin.
Then there is Linus Weissbach, who has been playing alongside Atanasov in preseason, as well as a large group of players who were already with the team last season: Sergei Plotnikov, Nikolai Goldobin, Valentin Zykov, Scott Wilson, Matvei Korotky and plenty of promising young talent. Right now, Larionov has almost six forward lines at his disposal – impressive depth, and it will be interesting to see how SKA’s head coach makes use of it.
Youngsters
One of Larionov’s strengths as a coach is his ability to develop young players – Atanasov is proof enough of that. In his first season in charge of SKA, Igor Nikolaevich helped introduce players such as Nikita Nedopyokin, who at the age of 21 played 50 regular-season games and another five in the playoffs in his first KHL campaign.
Korotky made significant progress under Larionov, while Matvei Polyakov enjoyed an excellent season before being traded to Torpedo for Atanasov this summer. Among those for whom the upcoming campaign could be crucial in terms of establishing themselves in the KHL are Amir Nugmanov, Ignat Lutfullin, and Vladislav Romanov. All three played a number of games last season but can hardly be considered established members of the roster just yet.
Finally, SKA’s system is full of talented prospects whom Larionov is currently giving a look during preseason. Perhaps the regular season will introduce St. Petersburg fans to some entirely new names.
Expectations
It’s no secret that SKA’s ambitions extend well beyond fifth place in the West and a first-round playoff exit. However, the level of competition in the KHL has become considerably more balanced over the past two or three seasons, and with the St. Petersburg club still undergoing a degree of rebuilding, they no longer enter the season as the undisputed favorites to win the conference, as they once did.
Even with the strengthened roster, much will depend on how successfully the newcomers are integrated into Larionov’s system, whether the team can build a cohesive group and maintain consistency throughout the season. If all the pieces of the puzzle fall into place, SKA could certainly finish in the Western Conference’s top three and make a deep playoff run. If not, Larionov might not be forgiven for another first-round exit.
