Without "hockey convulsions": how "Torpedo" will form its roster for the new season

      April 24, 2026 16:12 SportNIA "Nizhny Novgorod" - Polina Zubova On April 24, the head coach of the hockey club "Torpedo," Alexey Isakov, and the club's general director, Evgeny Zabuga, summarized the results of the 2025/2026 season. One of the key topics of the meeting with journalists was the strategy for assembling the team for the upcoming off-season, reports NIA "Nizhny Novgorod" correspondent.

      It is worth noting that earlier today, the extension of Isakov's contract was announced. The coach will continue his work for at least two more seasons. The formation of the updated roster began with the new agreement with the coach.

      A focus on retaining the core of the team

      According to the general director, the club intends to retain about 2/3 of the players compared to the past season.

      "We are against hockey convulsions, where 50% of the roster or more changes in the off-season. All the hockey players who will remain are fully aware of the requirements of Alexey Gennadyevich, so they will not need any lengthy time this off-season to adopt the playing model that is required," he noted.

      Currently, "Torpedo" has more than 20 hockey players whose contracts expire on May 31. Negotiations for extensions are already underway, and official announcements are expected soon.

      Offers have already been made to several hockey players, including forwards Sergey Goncharuk, Vladislav Firstov, Vasily Atanasov, Andrey Belevich, as well as defender Anton Silaev, who is being pursued by NHL clubs. Additionally, there are plans to re-sign forward Yegor Vinogradov for a longer term.

      Zabuga also commented on the situation with the loaned players — Andrey Krutov ("Amur"), Dmitry Breus ("Barys"), and Nikita Artamonov ("Neftekhimik"). In his opinion, all three received the necessary playing practice and will be included in the expanded roster for the pre-season training camp. He did not rule out possible trades involving them, considering the limited market.

      Strengthening and foreign players

      At the same time, work is underway to strengthen the roster.

      "As for reinforcements, several newcomers are indeed planned. I cannot make decisions for those people we would like to see in the roster right now. But if everything goes as planned, they will be quite well-known players for the KHL who will make the team stronger and more powerful both professionally and in media terms," Zabuga emphasized.

      The general director specifically addressed the issue of legionnaires. According to him, it is not realistic to expect a large number of foreign players: under the current geopolitical conditions, the market is not becoming more accessible. Top and near-top legionnaires are only willing to consider the KHL under very high financial offers and comfortable conditions.

      "Torpedo will not participate in 'auctions' for any hockey player," Zabuga emphasized.

      If legionnaires do appear in the roster, they will be players in whom the club has complete confidence. In the new season, there may be up to three foreigners on the team — for economic and social reasons. The club has already prematurely extended the contract with American defender Bobby Nardella.

      Coaching staff

      Additionally, the club plans to retain the majority of the coaching staff. Following preliminary discussions with Isakov, it is expected that most specialists will be retained, as there are no critical remarks about their work.

      The final composition of the coaching staff is expected to be announced soon. It is already known that goaltending coach Nikolai Khabibulin will continue to work in Nizhny Novgorod.

      It was previously reported that the new season of "Torpedo" is expected to start at a new arena at Strelka. The general contractor has signed a roadmap, and the ice palace is planned to be handed over to the club for operation this summer.

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