Chelyabinsk wants second straight league final

The quality of selection process, barring few exceptions, usually boils down to rookies' level of stardom. The higher it is, the better. When considering this factor, SKA has been the undisputed selection champion for several years now. Ilya Kovalchuk's return to the native soil has eclipsed any other transfer news. However, the results shown by SKA during this period of time indicate that it's not enough to just buy a megastar.
Strong transfer politics (even if we exclude Kovalchuk from the equation, SKA still is in overall league lead in this aspect) has not made SKA the strongest contender for the league title. Uncertainty as to who #1 goalie should be, too many D-men who, by the way, are often caught up forgetting their primary responsibilities, absence of players who have a lot to prove and are hungry for victories - all of these could still outbalance good things, especially in serious matches. Except for few young players, each and every one of SKA players' yearly salary hovers around $1 million. Back in Finland, Jukka Jalonen was known for being able to motivate average hockey players, but it's a whole different story when you get to make superstars coexist. In addition to that, Kovalchuk himself has a lot of prove since he hasn't won anything substantial at the club level thus far.
With that in mind, it seems more plausible to take another factor into consideration, this being purely about enhancing results and overall performance. Different teams see the former in a different light - for some it's the coveted Gagarin Cup while others are happy to make it postseason. Current cup holder, Dynamo Moscow, has embarked on a tried formula 'why break something that works' and has limited its transfer politics to cosmetic changes. Dynamo managed to hold on to the winning roster (with the exception of Gorokhov) and spruce it up with names like the returning Leo Komarov, Karsums, Pestushko, Glazachev and Karpov. Given Dynamo's financial capabilities, it's certainly a possibility to see the reigning, defending champs add a name or two during the season. With all this in consideration, it is not impossible for Dynamo to become a dynasty.
Dynamo's opponent in the 2013 finals, Traktor had a more daunting task in trying to keep the silver roster intact. Results obviously varied - Nichushkin left for Dynamo and, eventually, NHL, Yakutsenya left due to issues within the team while veteran Quint was lured away by a more lucrative and stable 2-year contract in Spartak.
But there were not only misses for Traktor - before the playoffs team management made a wise decision to have many of Traktor's leaders make necessary verbal arrangements about new contracts. One should also factor in the coaching staff - many players, both wily veterans and young upstarts, are willing to work with maitre Belousov. Kuryanov and Darzins could reinvigorate their stagnant careers, considering the style that Belousov inculcates to his players is far more suitable than those of Avangard and Ak Bars. However, probably the greatest achievement of this interseason is patching up the D-line that was heavily criticized during this past season. Take the best league's scorer among D-men , Renat Mamashev. With acquisitions like this, third consecutive conference finals do not seem too far away.
Decent and logical transfer politics in Omsk has its flaws as well. Avangard's roster lacks depth, especially centers. #1 goalie Karri Ramo left the team, and with Barys' Teemu Lassila being his replacement, one could make an argument about the capabilities of the latter.
It won't be an exaggeration to say that goaltender often is half the team. Remember Sibir and phenomenal Jeff Glass? Well, remember it good, because Glass' substitute, Hudacek, may not be able to elevate Sibir to the playoffs level.
Some of the underdogs have had a feisty transfer politics too. Teams like Spartak, Vityaz, Avto and Amur have snatched some delicious pieces of the pie and become somewhat stronger, at least on paper. So, with all that in mind and if the stars are aligned, we are in store for an even more competitive season. But hey - who has any objections against it?