Terekhov with Semyonov, and Denisenko with Khmelevsky: assembling Ak Bars' lineup

Ak Bars looks dismantled — will the situation change in August?

The summer offseason of 2026 is one of the most challenging in the career of Ak Bars general manager Marat Valiullin. Alexander Barabanov, Dmitry Yashkin, Ilya Karpukhin, Stepan Falkovsky, Ilya Safonov, and Mikhail Fisenko have left the Kazan club. Until mid-July, it was unclear whether Timur Bilyalov, Grigory Denisenko, and Artyom Galimov would remain with the team. Fortunately, the club retained these players.

Nevertheless, the roster that reached the Gagarin Cup final this year has been significantly depleted for the new KHL season. The only incoming transfer is forward Alexei Byvaltsev from Avtomobilist. Yes, he is an experienced player, and Ak Bars head coach Anvar Gatiyatulin knows him well. But it's hard to say that Byvaltsev will significantly strengthen the Kazan team. He will certainly increase the depth of the roster, but nothing more.

Without a doubt, throughout August, Marat Valiullin will work diligently on the transfer market to bring in quality players for Anvar Gatiyatulin who can adequately replace the departed leaders. For now, however, these are just nice words fueling the hopes of Ak Bars fans. Let's take a look at what the Kazan team will look like at the start of training camp and in what combinations Ak Bars would play if the season started next week.

Assembling Ak Bars' roster as of today

The opinion of Realnoe Vremya's sports editorial team is subjective, and some fans of the Kazan team may disagree. But overall, the roster we present to you now is the most logical and predictable under the current circumstances.

Forwards:

First line: Terekhov (Semyon) — Semyonov — Galimov

Second line: Denisenko — Khmelevsky — Pustozerov

Third line: Alistrov (Zhulin, Brovkin) — Byvaltsev — Galeev

Fourth line: Dynyak — Katelevsky — Zamaltdinov

Defensemen:

First pair: Lyamkin — Miller

Second pair: Marchenko — Terekhov (Stepan)

Third pair: Evseev — Yarullin

Fourth pair: Bardin — Ivanov

Goaltenders:

Bilyalov — Arefyev

Bilyalov remains the starter, and Terekhov has earned a chance to prove himself on the first line

The goaltending tandem is perfectly clear. Over the summer, there was a possibility that Timur Bilyalov could leave Ak Bars as an unrestricted free agent. However, the club managed to agree on a two-year contract with the 31-year-old goaltender, who has consistently maintained his status as the team's starter for the last five or six years. His backup will be young goaltender Maxim Arefyev, who performed well last season. In the upcoming regular season, the Ak Bars system graduate will receive much more ice time from Anvar Gatiyatulin.

As for the first line, the trio, in our editorial team's opinion, should look like this: Semyon Terekhov — Kirill Semyonov — Artyom Galimov.

Terekhov has clearly outgrown the VHL level and has long deserved a chance to spend a full season in Ak Bars' main KHL lineup. Semyon's partners highly praise his shot; some even call it nearly the strongest in the league. Terekhov is technically well-equipped, which is clearly felt when the forward drops down to play for Neftyanik in the VHL.

Terekhov has repeatedly appeared alongside Kirill Semyonov in Ak Bars' matches in past seasons. Therefore, we assume that Gatiyatulin will not break up this duo. Artyom Galimov needs no introduction. One of the team's main stars should by his position be on the first line.

Khmelevsky with Pustozerov and Denisenko on the second line

Second line: Grigory Denisenko — Alexander Khmelevsky — Alexei Pustozerov. An interesting combination that has never been used by Anvar Gatiyatulin before. Such a combination is a forced measure. Yes, last season Khmelevsky played on the wing in a line with Semyonov. But nominally, Alexander is a center. In the current situation, it is too disadvantageous for Gatiyatulin to use two centers on the same line. Therefore, Khmelevsky will center the second line, with Grigory Denisenko and Alexei Pustozerov as his partners. The latter improved significantly in the second half of the past regular season and was one of Ak Bars' important pieces in the Gagarin Cup playoffs.

Surprisingly, the most difficult choice for our editorial team was selecting the players for Ak Bars' third line, as the fourth line is quite clear — Dynyak — Katelevsky — Zamaltdinov, who are rarely split up by Anvar Gatiyatulin.

Alexei Byvaltsev integrates perfectly into the third line. In an interview with Ak Bars' press service, he stated that he expects diverse roles from himself on the team. He can play as a defensive forward and also create enough offensive potential for his partners.

Choosing Byvaltsev's linemates was indeed difficult. The wingers on the third line could be Vladimir Alistrov, Timofey Zhulin, Artur Brovkin, or Ildan Galeev. Anvar Gatiyatulin, even during his time in Chelyabinsk hockey, firmly established himself as a fine master of working with young players. Therefore, it is logical to expect that in the new season, one of Ak Bars' local graduates will definitely break out in the team's main lineup.

What about Ak Bars' defensemen?

Unlike the forwards, Ak Bars' defensemen have not undergone such radical changes. The pairs Lyamkin — Miller and Marchenko — Terekhov (Stepan) need no introduction. Throughout last season, they played together on defense and looked very solid.

Nikita Evseev, returning from Amur, will likely join the experienced Albert Yarullin. The latter missed most of the season due to a torn cruciate ligament. The defensive reserve will consist of defensemen Igor Bardin and Alexander Ivanov.