Avs sign F Bardakov to one-year, entry-level contract
Published
The Colorado Avalanche have signed forward Zakhar Bardakov to a one-year, entry-level contract for the 2025-26 season on Sunday.
Bardakov, 24, had 17 goals and 35 points in 53 games this season in the KHL with SKA St. Petersburg. He had one goal and one assist in six KHL playoff games before SKA was eliminated in the opening round.
A seventh-round pick (203rd overall) by New Jersey in 2021, Bardakov's NHL rights were traded to the Avalanche on March 1, 2024 along with a seventh-round pick in exchange for defenceman Kurtis MacDermid.
The Seversk, Russia native has skated in 209 career KHL games, split between HC Vityaz and SKA, scoring 38 goals with 79 points from 2020-25.
Internationally, Bardakov represented Russia at the 2021 IIHF World Junior Championship, recording a goal and assist as the Russians finished fourth.