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Childhood friends: Ivan Demidov (really) looks forward to playing with Alexander Zharovsky
Félix Forget
Childhood friends: Ivan Demidov (really) looks forward to playing with Alexander Zharovsky
Credit: Getty Images
At noon today, the Canadiens completed a transaction to move up in the draft. They traded the 41st and 49th picks to the Hurricanes, and in return got the 189th pick, but more importantly, the 34th pick.

The club had a player in its sights… and it didn’t want to be robbed of him.

In the end, the Habs chose Alexander Zharovsky. We’re talking about a talented young forward who, despite his slightly lower floor, has a very interesting ceiling. The quality of his hands alone is worth the detour.

That said, beyond the quality of the player, there’s one person who’s really happy about this choice: Ivan Demidov.

Because, according to Anthony Martineau (TVA Sports), who chatted to Zharovsky following his selection, the two young Russians are childhood friends.

The two youngsters have known each other since they were eight years old, and you can tell they’re really happy to be reunited in Montreal today. Both already dream of playing on the same line… and Zharovsky (who also seems to have some basic French) admits it’s a dream they’ve shared for a very long time.

Was this a factor in the Habs’ selection? The club has every reason in the world to try to ensure that Demidov (who quickly congratulated Zharovsky in an Instagram story) is happy in the city… and we know that the club has already done something similar by drafting Filip Mesar, one of Juraj Slafkovský’s best friends, in 2022.

Demidov and Zharovsky share the same agent and are in the same gang. Both guys are wingers, and playing them together is something the Habs would love. Yes, it’s something we thought about when we made our selection.

So we’ll see how it all pans out, but obviously, today’s pick really makes one of the most important young players in town happy. Zharovsky is an interesting prospect in his own right, but the Demidov connection is an interesting one.

Now, let’s see if Zharovsky develops sufficiently over the next few years to make a name for himself alongside Demidov in Montreal.


Overtime

– Emil Heineman thanks the Habs and their fans.

– It was.

– Interest in Cody Glass.

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