Last year’s Gagarin Cup finalists Salavat Yulaev Ufa and Atlant Mytishchi have parted with their coaches Sergey Mikhalev and Bengt-Ake Gustafsson respectively.

Mikhalev’s contract was terminated by mutual consent. The reasons for the resignation have not been disclosed, however, they seem to lie on the surface. Salavat Yulaev held a series of unsuccessful matches back in October. They lost nine out of 12 matches and sweetened the pill with two wins.

“The team’s performance was unsatisfactory to say the least. This decision was predictable due to the absence of result. There can’t be any forfeit from the club. We have just terminated the contract,” Mikhalev explained to RIA Novosti news agency.

Mikhalev stood at the helm of Salavat in summer 2011 after the resignation of Vyacheslav Bykov, who led them to victory in the Gagarin Cup 2010/11. This season Salavat Ulaev have earned 28 points in 21 matches and currently occupy sixth place in the Eastern Conference.

Meanwhile, the other Gagarin Cup finalist, Atlant, followed Salavat’s suit and sacked famous Swedish specialist Bengt-Ake Gustafsson. His assistant Janne Karlsson was appointed the acting head coach.

“Parting with Gustafsson was too hard for us, so I can’t say more. The team will be led by Karlsson in the next matches. We haven’t started the search for a new coach, so it’s all in Janne’s hands,” Atlant’s general manager Andrey Verevko told the Sport-Express paper.

The KHL runners-up are in ninth place in the Western Conference at the moment, with 24 points from 17 games.