Zakhar Bardakov came to Colorado believing his breakout season in Russia had finally earned him a real NHL opportunity.
Instead, it became a one-year stopover.
According to PuckPedia, Bardakov is expected to sign with KHL powerhouse SKA St. Petersburg after spending the 2025-26 season with the Colorado Avalanche. While the 25-year-old forward is heading back to Russia, Colorado will retain his NHL rights as a restricted free agent after his one-year entry-level contract expired.
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The decision isn’t exactly a shock.
Bardakov found a home on Colorado’s fourth line, but that’s where he stayed. According to reports, the Russian forward became frustrated with his limited role and spoke with his agent about the possibility of securing more ice time. That request apparently never led to a bigger opportunity.
On a roster overflowing with offensive talent, there simply wasn’t a path to consistent minutes.
Bardakov finished his rookie campaign with one goal and 10 points in 60 games while averaging just 7:17 of ice time per night. When the playoffs arrived, he never saw the ice.
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For a player still trying to establish himself, returning home offers something the Avalanche couldn’t: the chance to play meaningful minutes every night and continue developing in a familiar environment.
Ironically, it was that same environment that earned him his NHL shot in the first place.
Originally selected by the New Jersey Devils in the seventh round (203rd overall) of the 2021 NHL Draft, Bardakov spent several seasons developing in the KHL before his signing rights were traded to Colorado in 2024 as part of the deal that sent Kurtis MacDermid to New Jersey.
At the time, he looked like nothing more than organizational depth.
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He had produced six goals and 18 points in 42 games during the 2022-23 season before following it with six goals and 12 points in 51 games in 2023-24. There was little reason to believe he was on the verge of becoming an NHL option.
Then came a breakout that changed everything.
Bardakov exploded for 17 goals and 35 points in 53 games with SKA St. Petersburg during the 2024-25 season, finishing with a plus-20 rating and eclipsing his offensive totals from the previous two seasons combined.
The surge convinced the Avalanche he was ready to make the jump across the Atlantic. With injuries piling up throughout the organization, Colorado brought him to North America to provide depth and energy in the bottom six.
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He answered the call, appearing in 60 regular-season games and earning the trust of the coaching staff with a physical, reliable style, even if the offensive numbers never followed.
Now, his departure creates another vacancy on an Avalanche roster that is quietly being reshaped.
Colorado traded Ross Colton to the Nashville Predators earlier this week in a move widely viewed as a salary-clearing decision, making Bardakov the second forward to leave the organization’s depth chart in as many days.
The Avalanche still hold his NHL rights, leaving open the possibility of a return down the road.
For now, though, the player who bet on himself by coming to North America is betting on something else: that more opportunity back home will ultimately give him the best chance to make it back to the NHL on his own terms.
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