The Canadiens’ young lineup still has a few notable pieces on the way. They’ll have to wait at least one more season to see one of them, though. Winger Alexander Zharovsky, last year’s 34th overall pick, confirmed Sunday that he’s remaining with Salavat Yulaev Ufa in the Kontinental Hockey League to honor the final season of his contract in Russia (via Marco D’Amico of RG).
Zharovsky already looks like one of the steals of the 2025 class. Touted as a late-first-round talent by a few, most still expected him to be available with the Habs’ pick at 34.
He responded with a spectacular rookie season in the KHL this year after playing out his draft season in Russia’s junior circuit. Zharovsky was a three-time Rookie of the Month and was named to the league’s All-Star Game. With 16 goals and 42 points in 59 games, Zharovsky ranked third on Salavat in scoring and was second in points per game.
Even with some big-time names graduating over the last two seasons, the Habs still have a top-10 prospect pool in the league. Zharovsky’s standout 2025-26 campaign was enough to elevate him to #3 in the organization, per The Athletic’s Scott Wheeler – ahead of stagnating 2023 fifth overall pick David Reinbacher – and have him well-positioned to be a top-six contributor for Montreal in a couple of years’ time.
But unlike some high-profile Russian names over the past couple of years, it doesn’t appear there will be an early exit from Zharovsky’s overseas contractual obligations. Since the NHL doesn’t have a transfer agreement with the KHL, teams can’t sign their Russian prospects while they’re actively under contract with KHL clubs. Doing so requires the player and club to agree to terminate the deal – often at great cost to the player if not agreed to mutually.