CSKA Moscow enters the 2026/27 season as an elite KHL organization under returning coach Igor Nikitin, who guided them to late-season form improvements in 2025/26. The independent model projects CSKA at 64.1% win probability. Vladivostok finished 2025/26 catastrophically weakly, posting a -48 goal differential with only 161 goals for against 209 against across 68 games, finishing 11th in the standings with 52 points. This structural weakness persists despite modest roster additions. CSKA's home-ice advantage at CSKA Arena (12,300 capacity), superior coaching infrastructure, and historical dominance create a decisive edge. The moneyline odds of 1.45 imply 69% probability, representing only marginal overvalue versus the model's 64.1% estimate—roughly 5 percentage points. Early-season preseason fixtures carry elevated variance, but the institutional quality gap is substantial. The draw at 4.45 and away at 5.05 lack compelling value.