Mikhail Gulyayev’s new two-year KHL extension with Avangard Omsk pushes his long-awaited NHL arrival with the Colorado Avalanche back to at least 2028-29, extending uncertainty around the 2023 first-round pick’s development path.
A promising draft pick once viewed as a potential late-first-round steal for the Colorado Avalanche is now officially set to remain in Russia for the foreseeable future after Mikhail Gulyayev committed to a new deal with Avangard Omsk.
Gulyayev, selected 31st overall by the Avalanche in the 2023 NHL Draft via the pick acquired in the Alex Newhook trade, has signed a two-year, two-way extension in the KHL, according to league transaction records. The agreement keeps the 21-year-old defenseman in Omsk through the 2027-28 campaign, effectively pushing any possible NHL arrival with Colorado to the 2028-29 season at the earliest.
Because of how his rights are structured, the Avalanche can afford patience. The organization retains exclusive control over Gulyayev indefinitely, meaning there is no looming deadline forcing an entry-level contract decision in the near term.
A Timeline Shift That Reshapes Colorado’s Plans
When Gulyayev was drafted, there was genuine excitement about his long-term upside. He had been ranked highly across scouting lists entering the 2023 draft—23rd by Bob McKenzie of TSN and 21st overall by Scott Wheeler of The Athletic—making his availability at 31st appear like a savvy move by Colorado’s front office.
At the time, his path looked relatively straightforward: continue developing in Russia, eventually transition to North America, and compete for a role on the Avalanche blue line. Instead, his trajectory has slowed and stretched further out, now delayed by at least two more seasons following this extension.
After splitting his draft year between the KHL, the VHL, and Russia’s MHL junior league, Gulyayev has spent the last three seasons as a consistent presence with Avangard Omsk’s senior team. However, his role and production have not progressed at the pace many evaluators expected.
Development Questions And An Uncertain Ceiling
Despite still being regarded as one of Colorado’s stronger prospects—ranked No. 3 in Scott Wheeler’s most recent organizational list—there is growing skepticism about how quickly his game is translating at the professional level in Russia.
As his ice time has fluctuated, so too has his offensive output. He finished the 2024-25 season with 15 points, but that total dropped to just three in 2025-26, a step back that has not gone unnoticed by scouts tracking his development.
Wheeler noted concerns in March, writing that Gulyayev “has struggled to take that next step beyond just being a depth guy” in the KHL. That assessment has only gained weight as his usage has remained limited.
He also suggested a change of environment could help accelerate his growth, stating that Gulyayev “needs to get over to North America” to maximize his development and improve his chances of becoming an impactful NHL player. That transition, however, is now on hold for the foreseeable future.
There was never a strong indication that Gulyayev was rushing toward the NHL. He attended Colorado’s development camp last summer but chose to remain in Russia ahead of the season, unlike fellow prospect Ilya Nabokov, who signed his entry-level contract and made the trip to North America.
When asked last year by Sergey Demidov of RG.org about a possible timeline for joining the Avalanche organization, Gulyayev remained noncommittal, saying “right now I can’t say anything concrete.”
With this new extension finalized, that uncertainty has effectively been extended as well. For Colorado, the hope remains that consistent minutes in Omsk eventually help stabilize his game and unlock the upside that once made him such an intriguing first-round gamble.
