Colorado Avalanche depth forward Zakhar Bardakov is expected to sign with SKA St. Petersburg in the KHL this offseason, Pro Hockey Rumors reported, citing PuckPedia.
The move would send Bardakov back to Russia after one NHL season in Colorado. The Avalanche are still expected to retain his signing rights because he is a restricted free agent after the expiration of his one-year entry-level contract.
Bardakov Expected To Leave Colorado
The report stops short of an official completed signing, so the roster takeaway is narrower: Bardakov is expected to return to the KHL, while Colorado keeps his NHL rights rather than losing him outright.
Bardakov, 25, was a seventh-round pick by the New Jersey Devils in the 2021 NHL Draft, going 203rd overall. New Jersey later traded his signing rights to Colorado in 2024 for Kurtis MacDermid.
That made Bardakov a low-cost rights play for the Avalanche. He had remained in Russia for several seasons before Colorado brought him to North America, and the organization used him as depth while injuries shaped parts of the 2025-26 roster.
KHL Production Earned NHL Look
Bardakov's KHL production was uneven before his final pre-NHL season. Pro Hockey Rumors listed him with six goals and 12 points in 51 games for St. Petersburg in the season he was traded to Colorado, after a six-goal, 18-point campaign in 42 games the year before.
The breakout came in 2024-25. Bardakov scored 17 goals and 35 points in 53 KHL games with a plus-20 rating, surpassing his previous two seasons' scoring totals combined.
That season gave Colorado enough reason to try him in North America. The decision did not create a long-term top-nine role, but it did give the Avalanche another forward option at a time when their lineup needed extra bodies.
Avalanche Keep His NHL Path Open
Bardakov spent much of the 2025-26 season with Colorado, mostly on the fourth line. Pro Hockey Rumors credited him with one goal and 10 points in 60 games while averaging 7:17 of ice time.
Those numbers explain the expected return to the KHL without needing to overstate the move. Colorado's top-six talent leaves limited room for a player in Bardakov's role, and the report framed the KHL as a more familiar environment with access to more ice time.
For the Avalanche, the important detail is control. If Bardakov does sign with SKA St. Petersburg, Colorado can still revisit his NHL future later because the club is expected to retain his RFA rights.