The Canadiens may already be dreaming of a Russian trio

Vincent Larue
The Canadiens may already be dreaming of a Russian trio
Credit: Capture d'écran/Twitter

The selection of Gleb Pugachyov could be far more significant than people realize.

The Canadiens may not have just added another Russian prospect to their organization on Friday. They may have landed the player who will join Ivan Demidov and Alexander Zharovsky on the same line in a few years.

In a video, Pugachyov revealed that Montreal executives had made it clear to him before the draft that they wanted to draft him.

The reason?

In his own words, the organization wanted him, Ivan Demidov, and Alexander Zharovsky to all be part of the Canadiens.

Of course, no one expects Zharovsky and Pugachev to make it to the NHL in the next few months. They'll still need time to continue their development.

But this statement still gives us food for thought.

Looking at the profiles of these three forwards, it's hard not to imagine that they could one day complement each other very well on the ice.

Demidov is known for his great offensive talent, creativity, and ability to set up plays. Zharovsky also possesses a highly developed offensive instinct and an excellent sense of the game.

Pugachyov, on the other hand, brings a different set of skills to the table.

His main strength is his combination of size, athleticism, and speed. He enjoys checking his opponents and, in doing so, creates space for his teammates.

In other words, he possesses several qualities that could perfectly complement two players as creative as Demidov and Zharovsky.

It also helps explain why the Canadiens were so eager to draft him with the 26th overall pick. Although some experts criticized this selection, the organization seemed convinced that Pugachyov was exactly the type of player they were looking for.

Demidov and Zharovsky already have an excellent relationship, and that could also be the case with Pugachyov.

If Pugachyov also continues to make good progress, the Canadiens could eventually have three very promising young Russians within their organization—but that will take quite a while.

However, Martin Lapointe says he'll be ready sooner than other players because he's already playing against adult opponents in the KHL.

If the paths of these three Russians end up crossing on the same line, no one will be able to say the idea came out of nowhere.


In a nutshell

– Darnell Nurse isn't the most sought-after target.

– Interesting.

– Stay tuned for updates on these three star players.

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