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Zharovsky’s late selection is sparking debate among other recruiters

Originally posted on Dose.ca | Last updated Mar 27, 2026 1:35 PM ET

The injuries to Kirby Dach, Patrik Laine (?!) and Alexandre Texier could work in one player's favor: Michael Hage. If his season ends tonight in Albany, he might get a spot in Montreal instead of Laval.

If all the team's forwards were healthy, there likely wouldn't be a spot for Hage this year.

We'll be keeping a close eye on the University of Michigan game tonight, just a few hours south of Montreal. Let's hope for a win for Hage, but let's keep one thing in mind: a loss would likely send him to Carolina or Florida.

Hage, selected 21st overall in 2024, is currently the organization's top prospect who has not yet signed with the team.

Right behind Hage is another offensive prospect in the organization: Alexander Zharovsky. Zharovsky, selected 34th overall last summer, was the second KHL player to be drafted by an NHL team; the other being Pyotr Andreyanov (Columbus).

In short, Zharovsky was the highest-drafted KHL player (excluding goalies) in the latest Bettman-led amateur draft.

Elliotte Friedman, in his latest “32 Thoughts,” revealed that he spoke with several NHL team executives who told him that being able to draft Zharovsky that late was a steal.

“Apparently, this pick at this specific spot is a hot topic in scouting circles.” – Elliotte Friedman

Written 32: https://t.co/6GsOv6rqMY

— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) March 27, 2026

What is Friedman trying to tell us between the lines? That Nick Bobrov pulled off quite a draft pick? That Zharovsky should have been selected earlier, but something happened? That several scouts got a talking-to from their bosses? Who knows…

Zharovsky, whom Bob Hartley compares to Ivan Demidov—who supposedly has a weaker shot—finished the regular season with 42 points in 59 games. Reminder: he just turned 19.

He was on track to beat Demidov's post-draft season (49 points), but he slowed down significantly toward the end of the campaign. Between January 9 and March 14, Zharovsky scored just a single goal in 20 games. He even went eight games without scoring a single point during that stretch.

The playoffs began earlier this week in the KHL. Salavat Yulaev Ufa lost its first game (2-0) before winning the second (1-0) against Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg. The third game between the two teams will be played today in Ufa.

Will Zharovsky, who was shut out in the first two games, be able to get on the score sheet?

His ice time dropped from 19 to 14 minutes between Game #1 and Game #2.

Alexander Zharovsky has seemed tired for some time now. (Credit: Twitter screenshot)

Reminder: unlike Hage, Zharovsky is not expected to come finish his season in Montreal once his Russian team's season is over. He still has a year left on his contract, and in any case, he's seemed out of steam for the past few weeks. Some rest will be well deserved in his case.

If the Habs manage to bring him to Montreal before his contract expires, it's likely to happen during the summer or in April 2027.

Especially since, right now, Kent Hughes only has about $1.35 million left under his salary cap, which is just enough room for a single addition. Will it be Hage? Blais? Reinbacher?

To make multiple call-ups, the team would either have to place Laine on the LTIR (with consequences for next season) or wait until the final hours of the regular season.

In short, the Canadiens seem to have hit a home run with the selection of Zharovsky, but we'll have to wait a little longer before we see that home run with our own eyes.

This article first appeared on Dose.ca and was syndicated with permission.

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