Vladislav Kamenev has Igor Nikitin dealing with a 2-year suspension that just turned a quiet absence into a full-blown CSKA scandal.
The report says Kamenev was banned for 2 years after testing positive for meldonium, a performance-enhancing substance that was found in a sample from March 2025.
That matters because his disappearance from CSKA's lineup now has a hard explanation behind it. What looked like a missing player file is now attached to one of the ugliest labels a forward can carry.
Kamenev is 29, so this is not some fringe prospect getting lost on the edge of a roster. This is a veteran player taking a hit that reaches straight through the 2026-27 season.
For CSKA, the timing is rough. The KHL's current team page still lists Igor Nikitin as head coach, and clubs in that spot do not want one of their better-known names tied to a drug case in the middle of roster planning.
It also puts a different light on Kamenev's last stretch around the club. CSKA's own site still carried player content and quotes tied to him earlier this year, which makes the punishment hit even harder now.
-
Vladislav Kamenev banned for two years after anti-doping violation
This is not a case where the name has no NHL history behind it. Kamenev played 66 NHL games split between the Nashville Predators and Colorado Avalanche, scoring 3 goals and adding 10 assists for 13 points.
That is not a massive NHL résumé, but it is enough to make this story travel. Fans in North America know the name, and so do people who tracked him once as a player with more runway than he ever got to show.
The suspension also lands on a player with real KHL success. The report notes Kamenev won 2 Gagarin Cup championships with CSKA, which only adds more weight to the fall.
And there is no soft way around the damage here. A 2-year doping ban does not just freeze a season. It cuts into reputation, trust, and whatever chance a player had to build momentum again on either side of the ocean. That is an inference based on the length of the ban and the nature of the violation.
CSKA can move on and fill the roster spot. Kamenev cannot move past this that easily. His name is now attached to meldonium before anything else, and that sticks longer than points totals ever do.
That is why this story lands so hard. Vladislav Kamenev was already out of sight for many fans. Now everybody knows why, and the answer leaves a stain that will follow him long after the suspension ends.
Source : Kamenev suspended two years amid doping scandal
Will Vladislav Kamenev ever fully recover his career after this suspension?
Also read on Markerzone.com:
Major NHL controversy explodes and the entire hockey world is absolutely fuming
