The general manager of "Sibir," Viktor Merkulov, commented to "SE" about whether the club is planning to trade forwards Andy Andreoff, Sergey Dubakin, and Dmitry Ovchinnikov.
— The agency representing Sergey Dubakin claims in its resources that it is searching for a new club for him.
— We do receive inquiries from various clubs about Sergey from time to time. We understand perfectly that he needs to play more. Dubakin is at an age where he really wants to play hockey.
If a suitable offer comes in for him, then a transfer will take place. As of today, he is a full-fledged player on our team whom we rely on.
— Are you open to trading Dmitry Ovchinnikov, who has not established himself as a solid player in the lineup?
— Dmitry's situation is a bit different. There is less demand for him compared to Dubakin. If an interesting option arises, we also see no reason to keep the guy waiting.
— The rumors about trading Andy Andreoff have escalated to the point where they had to be addressed by Andrey Razin at a press conference, who was rumored to be receiving him from some channels.
— I don’t know what information reaches Andrey Razin. We have not discussed a potential trade for Andy with "Metallurg." It’s difficult to comment on what they talk about among themselves.
“Sibir” has not put Andreoff on the trading block. We believe that Andy will find his game. Especially since he faced a similar situation last season when he also struggled to realize his potential at the start of the regular season. The numbers from last season confirm that he can deliver results at the KHL level.
Most of our forwards are in a similar situation. If you recall, in the last four games, they haven’t scored a single goal. I think this is some kind of general trend. It’s not just Andreoff who is struggling. I hope that soon he will prove that many were mistaken about him.
After 25 matches, “Sibir” occupies the ninth place in the Eastern Conference of the KHL with 23 points.