Nikolai Makarov

June 2025 – Makarov split time between the KHL (11 games, no points) and the VHL (41 games, four goals and eight assists) in 2024-2025. He has good size for a defenseman, but hasn’t been able to show offense in Russia over the last number of years. He remains unsigned, and it would be hard at this point to project him usurping anyone ahead of him on the depth chart. He could still choose to test his chances in North America in the coming years, but it would be quite unlikely at this point. Alex Wyatt

June 2022 – The 2021 fifth-round pick is a big defenseman who plays a well-rounded game. He can move well on his feet and make smart plays. Makarov isn’t the biggest offensive producer, but defensively, he uses his size to his advantage, using his body and a long stick to break up plays.

This season he played between three teams in the KHL, VHL, and MHL. He appeared in six games with CSKA Moskva in the KHL but scored no points. In 16 games with Zvezda Moskva in the VHL, Makarov notched one point. Then in 22 games with Krasnaya Armiya Moskva of the MHL, he scored four goals and 10 assists for 14 total points. Makarov likely has a few more years in Russia to develop before coming to the NHL. – Clare McManus