The 2024–25 Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) season is highly anticipated by Montreal Canadiens supporters since Ivan Demidov, the team’s most recent first-round draft selection, skates for SKA St. Peterburg.

According to Elite Prospects, 12 former Montreal players are continuing their careers in Russia; here’s a look at them.

Nikita Nesterov played only 13 games with the Canadiens in 2016-17, last appearing in North America with the Calgary Flames in 2020-21. He’s been with CSKA Moskva on and off since 2017-18 and has served as their captain since the 2022-23 campaign.

Alexander Radulov played one season in Montreal, netting 54 points in 76 games during the 2016-17 season. After five years in Dallas, he returned home to the KHL and is now skating with Lokomotiv Yaroslavl after two seasons with Ak Bars Kazan.

Darren Dietz is a KHL veteran, now on his fourth team since joining the league in 2017-18. His only appearance in the NHL happened with the Canadiens during the 2015-16 season, when he tallied five points in 13 games.