KHL.ru is reviewing the 2024-2025 season for each team. HC Dynamo Moscow finished the regular season in second place in the Western Conference and faced a challenging playoff path. Despite this, they advanced through two rounds before being eliminated by Traktor in the semifinals, mirroring their exit from the previous year, albeit one round later.
Dynamo`s start to the championship was slow, losing five of their first seven games in regulation. However, these early difficulties proved temporary. A minor dip in form occurred in late December, but the team recovered quickly after the New Year. Despite a tough schedule towards the end of the regular season, the White-Blues secured second place in the West, behind only the dominant Lokomotiv, and clinched their playoff berth by defeating Yaroslavl. Dynamo`s playoff draw was exceptionally difficult, featuring SKA, Ak Bars, and Traktor – a gauntlet arguably tougher than faced by any other semifinalist. They overcame SKA and Ak Bars (the latter after losing the first two home games) in six games each but fell to Traktor in five. Injuries to top playoff scorer Maxim Komtoua and a setback for the not fully recovered Vladislav Podyapolsky further complicated their path. Podyapolsky`s departure during a crucial game where Dynamo could have potentially made the series 3-2 ultimately sealed their 4-1 elimination. This marks the second consecutive year Traktor has knocked Dynamo out of the playoffs, suggesting the Chelyabinsk team is becoming a formidable hurdle for the White-Blues, despite Dynamo securing a bronze medal this season.
Best Players
Maxim Komtoua
28+35 in 77 games
It`s difficult to determine cause and effect, but like the entire Dynamo team, Komtoua had a slow start to the season, only finding his form in October. In September, the team was seriously considering trading him, even for minimal return, just to move on. Had they done so, it`s likely they wouldn`t have achieved second place in the West, and certainly not reached the semifinals. Although Maxim didn`t consistently play on the first line or the primary power-play unit, his line, often with Cedric Paquette and Dmitry Rashevsky, was instrumental in winning many games, including key playoff matchups. While Komtoua`s impulsiveness sometimes cost the team, he often redeemed himself, occasionally immediately after serving a penalty.
Nikita Gusev
34+46 in 85 games
While Komtoua led Dynamo in playoff scoring, Gusev was the team`s top scorer in the regular season (and second overall in the league behind Joshua Leivo), and the overall season leader for the team. Historically, Nikita climbed to fourth place on the KHL all-time scoring list, passing Danis Zaripov, and became the sixth player to join the elite club of snipers with at least 250 career goals.
Vladislav Podyapolsky
25 games, 13 wins, .930 SV%, 2.12 GAA
Dynamo had faced significant challenges with their starting goaltender for years, a problem they finally addressed successfully. Podyapolsky was acquired from Lada at the trade deadline but missed another six weeks recovering from injury, limiting his games played for Dynamo. However, he performed admirably, even when playing in less than optimal condition in the spring. His exit from the ice during Game 5 against Traktor dramatically shifted the series, which proved to be the final game for Dynamo. Had both Podyapolsky and Komtoua been healthy, the series would likely have been longer and could potentially have had a different outcome. Furthermore, Podyapolsky`s inclusion in the season`s All-Star team, despite spending half the year with another club, highlights his impact.
Coach
This past summer, Alexei Kudashov addressed a deficiency observed in the previous season. Although Dynamo finished first in the regular season that year, the team would often falter significantly if their top players weren`t performing, which proved detrimental in the playoffs. For the current season, the revamped Dynamo saw strong contributions from all four lines. While this resulted in slightly lower individual scoring for players like Gusev, Jordan Weal, Paquette, and Rashevsky, it made the team significantly more balanced and a tougher matchup for opponents.
Alexei Nikolaevich is now in his fourth season with Dynamo, and in each of them, the White-Blues have been strong contenders, if not always the absolute favorites. Their playoff runs have progressed from a first-round exit, to two second-round sweeps (0-4), and now to the semifinals, indicating clear advancement. Despite this progress and a season that was successful both for Kudashov personally and relative to his predecessors, there remains a sense of unfulfilled potential. The team has shown capabilities for even greater success, particularly in the last two seasons, when they demonstrated high-level, seemingly unstoppable hockey for considerable stretches.
Best Match
HC Dynamo Moscow and SKA faced off six times during the regular season. SKA won one game in overtime, while Dynamo took the remaining five. In these five wins, Dynamo overcame deficits, including a minimal lead, a two-goal lead, and remarkably, a 3-0 lead in one of the contests.
Young Players
Compared to previous seasons, Dynamo`s roster skewed slightly older, with only four young players consistently featuring: Nikita Buruyanov, Artem Kudashov, Maxim Motorygin, and Egor Rimashevsky. Significant responsibility fell upon Motorygin, notably during two periods: early in the season when Hunter Miska didn`t pan out, and at the end when Podyapolsky was injured. Overall, Maxim performed well, though the very end was slightly marred when he entered the final game as a substitute. While not at fault for the first two goals allowed, the third goal against was attributed to him.
Rimashevsky solidified the main roster spot he earned last season. Although he doesn`t yet receive extensive ice time in Dynamo`s high-powered offense, he makes the most of his opportunities and often draws attention, showing clear potential for continued development.
Offseason Work
Dynamo extended contracts with both goaltenders, positioning the Podyapolsky-Motorygin tandem as potentially one of the strongest for the upcoming season. They also successfully retained Daniil Pylenkov and Maxim Dzhioshvili, which seemed unlikely in May. The situation with Gusev is typical for early summer: he`s taking his time, but if he remains in Russia, it`s likely with Dynamo. The same applies to Komtoua, though with potentially higher chances of departing. Rashevsky is expected to leave; he accepted a restricted free agent offer from Avangard, which Dynamo matched, but it`s anticipated that Dmitry will be traded with this new contract, possibly back to Avangard. Rumors also suggest a potential trade for Brennan Menell.
Players who have left include Pavel Kudryavtsev (to Sochi), Anton Sizov (back to Torpedo), and Anton Slepyshev, who is currently without a contract.
Returning from loan are three young defensemen and a forward. The team has also signed Fredrik Claesson from CSKA and Devin Brosso from Amur. With goaltending and defense fully staffed and at least three complete forward lines, the remaining roster adjustments will likely depend on the final decisions of Gusev and Komtoua.
Neville Woodall 
Gareth Tenby