There has been a very interesting development when it comes to the potential North American arrival date of Montreal Canadiens prospect Alexander Zharovsky.
He’s currently signed to a contract with Salavat Yulaev in the KHL which is set to expire on Monday, May 31, 2027, however, a comment from CEO Rinat Bashirov suggests there’s a chance Zharovsky could be in Montreal much earlier than originally anticipated.
Translation via Hockey News Hub:
“Of course, anything is possible,” he said. “But we’re ruling out the possibility of anyone forcing us to let him go. And in a year, if he’s ready to go to the NHL, we’ll let him go. There’s no problem with that; we don’t put obstacles in the way of young players.”
Exact words from Bashirov to Match TV regarding #GoHabsGo prospect Alexander Zharovsky (translated): https://t.co/q5LdFC8KcS pic.twitter.com/NpF8Lh8bAA
— Hockey News Hub (@HockeyNewsHub) December 11, 2025
Montreal Canadiens Brass Tacks
Zharovsky, 18, is in the midst of a very encouraging rookie season in the KHL. He’s scored eight goals and 15 assists in 26 games, putting him on a prorated scoring pace of 53 points, which is more than current Canadiens forward Ivan Demidov produced during his rookie season in Russia.
That being said, if Zharovsky does come to Canada earlier than expected, we should temper our expectations to a certain extent.
It’s always encouraging to see an 18-year-old player produce in a professional hockey league, however, we can’t ignore that most of Zharovsky’s production has come on the powerplay.
This doesn’t mean we should ignore his impressive rookie season, but context is always crucial when evaluating a prospect’s NHL readiness.
Zharovsky has been awarded consecutive Rookie of the Month honours in the KHL, and he’s clearly one of the most talented young players in the league, not to mention one of the most interesting skaters in Montreal’s prospect pool.
He also happens to currently lead Salavat in scoring, a very rare feat for an 18-year-old.
