From Barabanov to Bilyalov: which of Ak Bars' leaders is underperforming at the start of the season

      Ak Bars’ recruitment policy raises questions again

      Artem Galimov has the worst offensive output among Ak Bars forwards

      26-year-old Ak Bars forward Artem Galimov has so far failed to meet expectations this season. After four KHL games he currently has the lowest production among the forwards — zero goals, zero assists and a minus-2 plus-minus. One could argue the KHL season has only just begun and it may be premature to draw conclusions. Galimov has had worse starts before. Recall that the Kazan native’s decline was already noticeable during last playoffs: in the final four games against Moscow Dynamo he recorded only one point.

      That is despite the fact that last season Galimov played the most games for Ak Bars in the KHL (68) and posted a career-best points total for a season (59): 35 goals and 24 assists. According to the 26‑year‑old forward, his numbers were influenced by the coach’s trust and his new role on the team. In other words, a player like Artem needs consistent backing from his coach.

      However, the playoffs differ from the regular season in that they really test players’ professionalism. Galimov did not cope with that challenge. At the same time, the value of his new contract has risen significantly compared to previous years — from 25 million rubles to 40 million rubles per year. In the offseason Ak Bars extended the forward’s deal through May 31, 2026.

      Nikita Lyamkin often makes mistakes and commits many unjustified actions

      In the 2024/25 season Nikita Lyamkin was considered one of the most progressive and technically gifted defensemen in the KHL. He earned 44 points (8+36) and broke the scoring record of former Ak Bars defenseman Ilya Nikulin — 41 (6+35) points in a regular season.

      This season, after four games, the 29‑year‑old defenseman is still without points and has a minus-1 plus-minus. A lot of sloppiness has been noted in his play at the start of the season, especially on sequences when he joins the attack. He often makes mistakes at the blue line. In certain situations he allows himself overly adventurous decisions, which lead to turnovers and sometimes conceded goals.

      In a recent home match against Avtomobilist, after an unsuccessful lacrosse attempt by Lyamkin, the opponent intercepted the puck near their own net and broke away on a counterattack. With the score at 1–2 in favor of the visitors, the Yekaterinburg player Reid Boucher scored.

      For similar actions other defensemen are benched. Take Mitchell Miller, who sometimes dares to play unconventionally and is punished for his creativity. At the same time Miller is objectively Ak Bars’ best skater at the start of the season among all position players. It’s unclear why the sanction of being demoted to the bench was deserved by him and not by Lyamkin.

      In the offseason Ak Bars extended Lyamkin’s contract for one season on improved terms — 52 million rubles per year. The defenseman will justify that sum provided he shows less carelessness in his game throughout the season.

      Timur Bilyalov’s instability and injury-proneness hit Ak Bars hard

      Ak Bars goalkeeper Timur Bilyalov still has one year left on his contract with the club. The new deal was signed before the start of last season. After a successful playoff run (Ak Bars became Gagarin Cup silver medalists in the 2024/24 season) there was talk that the club’s starting goalie might leave if he did not receive a better offer. The player’s agent put forward increased demands on contract length and cost, which prolonged negotiations.

      It is known that Bilyalov’s side relied mainly on the argument that there were no high-class free-agent goalkeepers available on the market. Some Ak Bars players were skeptical of this claim at the time, because the goalie almost every season steadily drops his level in playoff matches.

      In the end the player’s side had to compromise — apparently there were few offers from top clubs. The agreement was concluded for two seasons with a contract worth 55 million rubles. Even so, this is one of the highest goalkeeper salaries in the KHL. Only Zak Fucale (71 million rubles) of Dinamo Minsk earns more.

      At the start of this season Bilyalov objectively does not justify his level and is not worth the money the club pays him, especially given his inconsistency during the season and susceptibility to injury.

      Of course, the team’s second goalkeeper, Mikhail Berdin, looks even worse. However, that was predictable for almost everyone before the season — except, apparently, for Ak Bars’ management, who offered him the contract.

      Alexander Barabanov has lowered his standards

      Alexander Barabanov is one of Ak Bars’ highest-paid players. His salary cost the Tatarstan club 82.5 million rubles in the first year, and this season it increased to 95 million rubles.

      In the four games played so far Barabanov has not scored a goal but has two assists. Today he ranks among the three worst players on the Kazan team in terms of plus-minus.

      It is worth noting that last season Barabanov was a system-forming player for Ak Bars. Beyond the strong goals+assists numbers, the forward showed lots of activity along the boards, won puck battles and constructed attacks. This season there is none of that. No points, no commitment.

      On a line with Kirill Semenov he is almost invisible.

      Ilya Safonov’s progress has stalled

      Ilya Safonov is in his seventh season with Ak Bars. The center’s progress peaked in 2023/24. Back then their top line with Alexander Radulov and Dmitry Voronkov was considered one of the best in the KHL. Voronkov then went overseas and progressed further, signing a new contract with Columbus. Safonov’s development, at the very least, stopped. More likely, a reverse process began.

      Despite this, after last season Safonov wanted to go overseas to the NHL to Chicago as a third-line center, indicating he had outgrown Ak Bars and wanted to try leaving his comfort zone to keep progressing. However, that was probably more agent maneuvering than real NHL interest in Safonov. The player’s side ultimately extracted a new, improved contract from Ak Bars, and that was the end of the “overseas” story.

      It is known that in 2024 SKA approached Ak Bars’ management with an offer to trade forward Mikhail Vorobyov for Ilya Safonov. According to Ak Bars’ general manager Marat Valiullin, they declined that exchange. Meanwhile, Vorobyov, now at SKA, has already recorded 4 points (2+2) at the start of the season with a plus-3. Safonov, as a center, has shown nothing outstanding so far. After four games he has two assists and a minus-3 plus-minus.

      Note: The editorial board of TI-Sport could have placed Brandon Biro fifth in the ranking of Ak Bars’ most unjustified prospects. However, no one expected the best results from Biro, since the Canadian originally went to a team of outsider level such as Vityaz, but ended up in Kazan.

      It should be noted that Biro barely played in the NHL and did nothing notable in the AHL. The Canadian, with his usual baggage, plays in the KHL at the level he had before moving to Ak Bars, so we did not include him in this list. He did not disappoint — it was the Kazan club’s scouting that disappointed.

      Photo: ak-bars.ru