Nikita Klepov and Egor Barabanov scored almost 200 points of offense combined during the regular season.
They combined for just nine points in four postseason games for the Saginaw Spirit (two of which were goals) as they were swept by the Kitchener Rangers in their first-round encounter.
That said, it wasn't all doom and gloom for the Spirit.
Take Game 1 for example. Four of the nine points scored by Barabanov and Klepov were scored during this game, which was one that the Spirit could have won. While Tampa Bay Lightning prospect Sam O'Reilly would score the opening goal of the series for the Rangers, Barabanov would level the score with a minute gone in the second period. Just seven minutes later, Klepov would record the secondary assist on Dimian Zhilkin's go-ahead goal.
Midway through the third, when the score was tied at three goals apiece, both Barabanov and Klepov would assist on Zhilkin's second goal of series to give the Spirit a 4-3 lead with ten minutes to play in the game. But three Kitchener goals - scored by Christian Humphreys, Cameron Reid, and Matthew Andonovski - would ensure that the Rangers took Game 1 by a final score of 6-4.
Game 2 saw the Rangers shut out the Spirit, though it's worth noting that this game was scoreless until the opening minute of the third period, when O'Reilly scored a tap-in off a pass from Carson Campbell. Kitchener recorded two more goals over the next seven minutes and would ultimately win the game 4-0. Klepov and Barabanov would record a combined three shots for the Spirit during the shutout loss.
Game 3 would see the scoring return for Saginaw, and both Klepov and Barabanov would play a role in the Spirit's push to win the game. After Andonovski opened the scoring for Kitchener, Klepov would assist James Guo's goal to tie the game before the first intermission. Barabanov would help bring Saginaw level once again after Alexander Bilecki gave the Rangers a 2-1 lead, and he would assist Klepov's 3-2 goal just three minutes into the third period.
Like in Game 3, the Spirit would hold their lead deep into the third period and they actually came relatively close to winning. But with under six minutes to play, Vancouver Canucks prospect Gabriel Chiarot would tie the game at three and send the game to overtime, where Luca Romano would score the winning goal with almost seven minutes gone.
26-4.
That was the margin in the shots on goal count after the first period of Game 4. If you're guessing who put the 26 shots up, your first guess is probably correct. The Rangers outscored the Spirit by 22 shots while also putting up three goals over the course of the first 20 minutes of play.
Humphreys would record two additional goals for the Rangers during the final 40 minutes of play; those two goals sandwiched a Zhilkin goal for Saginaw, which was assisted by Klepov.
Has Saginaw's window closed just as it opened?
While the Spirit were never really expected to go on a deep playoff run this season, Zhilkin, Klepov, and Barabanov were all in the OHL's top-15 in scoring during the regular season. Klepov was first in the league, Barabanov was fourth, while Zhilkin was 15th.
Last season, Saginaw had two players in the top-five of scoring; San Jose Sharks forward Michael Misa led the way with 134 points, while Calgary Flames defenseman Zayne Parekh was fifth in that department. The Spirit ended up in fourth in the Western Conference but ultimately lost their first-round playoff series to the Erie Otters.
Both Misa and Parekh left for roles with their respective NHL franchises after that 2024-25 season, and it seems that Klepov and potentially Barabonov could be gone before the 2026-27 OHL regular season begins. While both players are set to be selected in the upcoming NHL Draft, Klepov is also committed to Michigan State University for next season.
It remains to be seen if Saginaw can get multiple scorers into the top-fifteen for what would be the third-straight season. But Klepov's departure could very well be seen as a significant blow if no one steps up to fill the space left alongside Barabanov and Zhilkin.
What's next for Kitchener?
While the Spirit's 2025-26 season will come to an end after their first-round elimination, the Rangers' season will continue into the second round of the playoffs. They'll kick off their next series against the Sault Ste Marie Greyhounds on April 10th at the Kitchener Memorial Auditorium.