THE APEX TIMES
Avalanche retain a path back as Zakhar Bardakov signs with SKA St. Petersburg
Colorado’s NHL rights retention means Zakhar Bardakov’s exit to the KHL is being treated as a chapter change, not a full farewell.
The Colorado Avalanche are keeping an NHL door open while closing one in-season chapter. Zakhar Bardakov has officially signed a one-year contract with KHL powerhouse SKA St. Petersburg after spending time in North America with Colorado.
The arrangement matters for two reasons. First, it confirms what many around the Avalanche expected: Bardakov would return to Russia rather than wait for a larger role in Denver. Second, it underscores how Colorado managed the end of the relationship. As reported by The Hockey News and echoed by Yahoo Sports, the Avalanche retained Bardakov’s NHL rights by extending a qualifying offer before he signed in the KHL, which keeps future NHL leverage possible even after his KHL move.
Bardakov’s season with Colorado illustrated why the organization and player both made the same directional call. According to The Hockey News, he finished with one goal and nine assists in 60 games, averaged 7:12 of ice time, and spent much of the year on Colorado’s fourth line. He also had a brief AHL stint with the Colorado Eagles, with The Hockey News describing that he scored in his only appearance, which reinforced the limited opening he had for a more consistent role in the Avalanche rotation.
The postseason picture, as described by The Hockey News, further supported the “next chapter” view. The report states that Bardakov was a healthy scratch for the entire playoffs after appearing in 60 regular-season games. In practical terms, it indicated that even with NHL experience in hand, the Avalanche were unlikely to find repeated minutes for him in the games that matter most.
The new contract places Bardakov back in the KHL with SKA St. Petersburg, a club known for competing at the top end of Russian hockey. While the move ends his immediate NHL run, Colorado’s retention of his rights and the qualifying-offer framework means the team’s offseason decision did not lock him out permanently from a future return.
What to watch next is how SKA uses Bardakov and whether Colorado’s rights retention turns into a real “come back” option later. If Bardakov finds a larger role and productive minutes in the KHL, the Avalanche would have a known asset they could potentially re-evaluate from inside the rights system. If not, the move still functions as an orderly roster management step, allowing Colorado to pursue its preferred internal depth while acknowledging that Bardakov’s development and fit may be better served in Russia right now.
Why It Matters
- Even without an immediate NHL return, retaining Bardakov’s rights preserves future options for Colorado if a later fit emerges.
- For the Avalanche, the move clarifies roster planning after Bardakov’s limited role in both regular season minutes and playoff deployment.
- The decision highlights how NHL teams can manage veteran overseas return situations through rights retention rather than treating departures as irreversible.
- For Bardakov, the KHL landing spot is a reset toward a more central role with a contending organization like SKA St. Petersburg.
Key Facts
- Zakhar Bardakov signed a one-year contract with KHL team SKA St. Petersburg.
- Colorado retained Bardakov’s NHL rights by extending a qualifying offer before his KHL signing, according to The Hockey News and Yahoo Sports.
- In the 2025-26 regular season, Bardakov totaled one goal and nine assists in 60 games for Colorado, averaging 7:12 of ice time.
- The Hockey News reports Bardakov spent much of the year on Colorado’s fourth line and scored in his only AHL appearance with the Colorado Eagles.
- The Hockey News also reports Bardakov was a healthy scratch for the entire Colorado playoffs.
- Bardakov’s signing is being framed as a return to Russia that still leaves an NHL path possible for Colorado.