On the last day of the transfer deadline, Medveščak lost four key players. Forwards T. J. Galiardi, Bobby Butler and Tomaš Mertl as well as defender Shaone Morrisonn are gone, while new names in the locker room are forward Kirill Voronin and defender Lukaš Kozak
T. J. Galiardi will continue his career in Neftehimik from Nižnjekamsk, Bobby Butler in Torpedo from Nižnji Novgorod, Tomaš Mertl in Salavat Julajey from Ufa and Shaone Morrisonn in Admiral from Vladivostok, Tportal reported on December 27, 2016.
Mertl played in 43 out of 44 games in this season for Medveščak and achieved seven goals and assists. This was his second season in the club, with a total of 11 goals and 21 assists last year, Butler and Galiardi were in their first season in Medveščak, Butler totalling 37 games, six goals and 10 assists, while Galiardi had 8 games, four goals and three assists. Morrisonn had the longest stay, arriving in the summer of 2014, playing 99 games, 33 of them in this season.
Kirill Voronin (22) spent his career as a junior in the Lokomotiva team in Jaroslavlj, debuting last season in the KHL for Admiral, with 15 points in 50 games. In this season he played 10 games for HK Sahalin in the Asian League and was returned to Admiral. Slovakian Lukaš Kozak (25) is joining Medveščak from Dukla in Trenčin, playing 33 games in the Slovakian league with 25 points.
Medveščak is currently in 12th place of the Western conference with 53 points after 44 games, 13 less than 8th place Vitjaz, the last place leading into playoffs. However, with these departures the chances of Medveščak making the playoffs have been drastically reduced. There are 16 games left until the end of the season, the first being on January 3 in Zagreb vs Chinese Red Star Kunlun.
