# Kontinental Hockey League team changes

From the league's inception in 2008 there have always been team changes in the Kontinental Hockey League between seasons, as some new teams have joined the league or others have left it. There is no promotion/relegation system with the VHL in place like there was with the Superleague and Vysshaya Liga. The number of teams in the league stayed at 24 throughout the first two seasons. In the third season the number of teams was reduced to 23 because Budivelnyk, a team that planned to join the league, dropped out before the start of the season. Initially, Lev Poprad replaced Budivelnyk to retain the number of teams at 24. However, Lev was excluded by the KHL before the start of that season, but would be accepted into the league for 2011–12. The league plans to expand this number for future seasons.
The inaugural season of KHL included all 20 teams of the 2007–08 Russian Superleague. Non–Russian teams Barys Astana, Dinamo Riga and Dinamo Minsk also joined the newly formed league. Likewise, the recreated team of Khimik Voskresensk, the champion of the 2007–08 season of the Major League, joined. Thus the initial number of teams was 24.

## Team changes by season

| Season | Teams left the league | Fate of the team | | Teams joined the league | Whence | Number of teams in the league |
| 2008–09 | inaugural season of competition | inaugural season of competition | inaugural season of competition | inaugural season of competition | inaugural season of competition | 24 |
| 2009–10 | Khimik | Joined VHL | | Avtomobilist | VHL | 24 |
| 2010–11 | Lada | Joined VHL | | UHC Dynamo | Newly created team by merger of Dynamo and MVD | 23 |
| 2010–11 | Dynamo M | Merged with MVD to form UHC Dynamo | | Yugra | VHL | 23 |
| 2010–11 | MVD | Merged with Dynamo to form UHC Dynamo | | | | | 23 |
| 2011–12 | Lokomotiv | Scratched from season due to plane crash | | Lev Poprad | Newly created team | 23 |
| 2012–13 | Lev Poprad | Disbanded | | Slovan | Slovak Extraliga | 26 |
| 2012–13 | | | | Donbass | VHL | 26 |
| 2012–13 | | | | Lokomotiv | Returned to KHL after plane tragedy | 26 |
| 2012–13 | | | | Lev Praha | Newly created team | 26 |
| 2013–14 | | | | Admiral | Newly created team | 28 |
| 2013–14 | | | | Medveščak | Austrian EBEL | 28 |
| 2014–15 | Donbass | Joined the Ukrainian Hockey Extra League prior to the 2015–16 season, after one year of inactivity. | | Lada Togliatti | Returned to the league | 28 |
| 2014–15 | Lev Praha | Disbanded | | Jokerit | Liiga | 28 |
| 2014–15 | Spartak Moscow | Took one year off due to financial issues | | HC Sochi | Newly created team | 28 |
| 2015–16 | Atlant | Folded due to financial issues. | | Spartak Moscow | Returned to the league | 28 |
| 2016–17 | | | | HC Red Star Kunlun | Newly created team | 29 |
| 2017–18 | Medveščak | Returned to Austrian EBEL | | | | 27 |
| 2017–18 | Metallurg Novokuznetsk | Joined VHL | | | | 27 |
| 2018–19 | Lada | Rejoined VHL | | | | 25 |
| 2018–19 | Yugra | Joined VHL | | | | 25 |
| 2019–20 | Slovan | Left league due to financial issues to attempt to rejoin Slovak Extraliga | | | | 24 |
| 2020–21 | Admiral | Took hiatus due to financial issues | | | | 23 |
| 2021–22 | Dinamo Riga Jokerit | Left the league due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine | | Admiral | Return to league after COVID-19 break | 22 |

## Division lineup changes

| Season | Divisions | Divisions | Divisions | Divisions | Divisions | Divisions | Divisions | Divisions |
| Season | Bobrov | Bobrov | Tarasov | Tarasov | Kharlamov | Kharlamov | Chernyshev | Chernyshev |
| Season | Joined division | Left division | Joined division | Left division | Joined division | Left division | Joined division | Left division |
| 2008–09 (initial composition) | Atlant Dinamo Mn Metallurg Nk Salavat Yulaev Severstal Spartak | | CSKA Khimik Metallurg Mg HC MVD SKA Traktor | | Amur Avangard Dinamo R Lada Lokomotiv Sibir | | Ak Bars Barys Dynamo M Neftekhimik Torpedo Vityaz | |
| 2009–10 (geographical realignment) | CSKA Dinamo R Dynamo M SKA | Atlant Metallurg Nk Salavat Yulaev Severstal | Atlant Lokomotiv Severstal Torpedo Vityaz | CSKA Khimik Metallurg Mg SKA Traktor | Ak Bars Avtomobilist Metallurg Mg Neftekhimik Traktor | Amur Avangard Dinamo R Lokomotiv Sibir | Amur Avangard Metallurg Nk Salavat Yulaev Sibir | Ak Bars Dynamo M Neftekhimik Torpedo Vityaz |
| 2010–11 | UHC Dynamo | Dinamo Mn Dynamo M | Dinamo Mn | HC MVD | Yugra | Lada | | |
| 2011–12 | Lev Poprad | | | Lokomotiv | | | | |
| 2012–13 | Donbass Lev Praha Slovan Vityaz | CSKA Lev Poprad Spartak | CSKA Lokomotiv Spartak | Vityaz | | | | |
| 2013–14 | CSKA Dinamo Mn Medveščak | Donbass Dynamo M Vityaz | Donbass Dynamo M Vityaz | CSKA Dinamo Mn Torpedo | Torpedo | | Admiral | |
| 2014–15 | Atlant Jokerit | CSKA Lev Praha | CSKA HC Sochi Torpedo | Atlant Donbass Spartak Moscow | Lada | Torpedo | | |
| 2015–16 | Spartak M | Atlant | | | | | | |
| 2016–17 | | | | | | | HC Red Star Kunlun | |
| 2017–18 | | Medveščak | | | | | | Metallurg Nk |
| 2018–19 | Dynamo M Severstal | Dinamo Mn Slovan | Dinamo Mn Slovan | Torpedo Dynamo M Severstal | Torpedo | Lada Yugra | | |
| 2019–20 | | | Torpedo | Slovan | Sibir | Torpedo | | Sibir |
| 2020–21 | HC Sochi Vityaz | Dinamo R Dynamo M | Dinamo R Dynamo M | HC Sochi Torpedo Vityaz | Torpedo | Sibir | Sibir | Admiral |
| 2021–22 | Torpedo | Severstal | Severstal | | HC Red Star Kunlun | Torpedo | Admiral | HC Red Star Kunlun |