- Avalanche prospect Mikhail Gulyayev signs a two-year KHL extension with Avangard Omsk
- The 2023 first-rounder’s earliest path to a Colorado debut is now 2028-29
- Read below for what the delay means for the Avalanche’s defensive pipeline
Mikhail Gulyayev isn’t crossing the Atlantic any time soon.
The Avalanche prospect signed a two-year extension with the KHL’s Avangard Omsk, per Pro Hockey Rumors. That locks him in Russia through 2027-28, which means the earliest he can sign with Colorado is 2028-29.
Gulyayev was the No. 31 pick at the 2023 NHL Draft, a selection Colorado picked up from Montreal in the Alex Newhook trade. At the time he sat No. 23 on Bob McKenzie’s TSN board and No. 21 on Scott Wheeler’s at The Athletic. Steal territory.
Three years in, the gap between projection and production has started to show. Wheeler wrote in March that Gulyayev “has struggled to take that next step beyond just being a depth guy” in Omsk, and his minutes have backed that up.
His point total tells the same story. Gulyayev had 15 points in 2024-25. This past season, that dropped to three.
Here’s a look at the puck-moving when he gets clean ice:
Wheeler also said Gulyayev “needs to get over to North America” to maximize what’s left of his runway. Avangard’s extension makes sure that doesn’t happen until 2028 at the earliest.
Colorado holds his rights indefinitely, so there’s no real pressure on the front office to do anything. Gulyayev was invited to the Avs’ development camp last summer and chose to stay in Russia instead. Fellow KHL prospect Ilya Nabokov signed his ELC in the same window and showed up.
Their paths have diverged from there. Nabokov is on track for the Avs crease. Gulyayev’s NHL clock keeps getting pushed.
A Colorado group that just got swept by Vegas in the Western Conference Final didn’t need more bad pipeline news. Their highest 2023 draft pick won’t be in the system until 2028, when Cale Makar is 30.
