The management's stance on "Barys" leaving the KHL and foreign players has been announced.

The leaders of the capital's hockey club "Barys" held a press conference for the media, where they addressed the most pressing questions, as reported by Caravan.kz.

Currently, "Barys" is on a streak of 10 losses in the KHL, making this season one of the most unsuccessful in the team's history.

Fans are increasingly questioning the viability of "Barys" competing in the KHL given such results. The team's general director Nurlan Orazbaev responded that the answer to this question lies within the jurisdiction of the Government of the Republic of Kazakhstan.

“The creation of the KHL was a directive from the President of Russia. They struggled for a long time to win the world championship. Some reforms were necessary. It was decided to establish the KHL. The decision for 'Barys' to participate in the KHL was made at the government level. Whether to participate in the KHL or not is not for us to decide,” said Nurlan Orazbaev.

The general director noted that the players currently lack good skating skills and puck control.

“This is due to the heavy travel load in their childhood. Our players lack these skills. Examples include Shaikhmiddenov, Butenko, Logvin, and Kairzhan. The older guys, such as Samat and Beketaev, have good skating skills,” Orazbaev stated.

Regarding strengthening the roster, Orazbaev explained that "Barys" will continue to invite legionnaires, but only from Russia. No players from North America are expected to join the team. Among Kazakhstani players, "Barys" intends to bring back Nikita Mikhailis and has proposed extending contracts for Kirill Savitsky and Kirill Panyukov. However, transfers from the farm team to the main squad have been blocked since January 5 due to outstanding compensation payments.

Orazbaev added that Valery Orekhov, who is aiming to break into the NHL, will not be invited to "Barys" for the time being.