Klim Kostin, the former San Jose Sharks forward, has officially signed with Avangard Omsk of the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) for the remainder of the 2025-2026 season. The announcement, made on Monday, November 3, 2025, marks Kostin's return to the KHL after spending several seasons in North America.
Kostin, who was drafted 31st overall by the St. Louis Blues in the 2017 NHL Entry Draft, has had a somewhat nomadic NHL career. He played for the Blues, Edmonton Oilers, Detroit Red Wings, and most recently, the San Jose Sharks. In 109 career NHL games, Kostin recorded 25 goals and 53 points.
During the off-season and leading up to training camp, there were rumors that the Oilers might have been interested in bringing Kostin back on a professional tryout contract. Kostin himself had expressed a strong desire to return to Edmonton.
Kostin previously played for Avangard Omsk during the 2020-21 season while on loan from the St. Louis Blues. He contributed 7 goals and 18 points in 43 regular-season games and added 5 goals and 9 points in 24 playoff games, helping Avangard secure their first Gagarin Cup championship.
After his successful stint in the KHL, Kostin returned to North America. He played 40 games for the Blues, scoring four goals and nine points, and also appeared in 17 AHL games for the Springfield Thunderbirds, where he had three goals and six points. St. Louis then traded him to the Edmonton Oilers.
His most productive NHL season came in 2022-23 with the Oilers, where he tallied 11 goals and 21 points in 57 games. However, due to Edmonton's salary cap constraints, he was traded to the Detroit Red Wings. After a disappointing run with the Red Wings, where he scored three goals and one assist in 33 games, he was traded to the San Jose Sharks. He finished the year with San Jose, managing five goals and 10 points in 19 games. He then re-signed with the Sharks for the 2024-25 season but his performance was underwhelming. In the last two seasons with the Sharks, Kostin only registered 17 points and was mainly used as a fighter.
TSN reported that the 26-year-old signed a contract for the remainder of the season with Omsk Avangard.
