Top Prospects: Grant McCagg Also Ranks Gleb Pugachyov Ahead of Alexander Zharovsky

Michaël Petit
Top Prospects: Grant McCagg Also Ranks Gleb Pugachyov Ahead of Alexander Zharovsky
Credit: Capture d'écran | Twitter

Yesterday, NHL.com released a ranking of the Montreal Canadiens' top prospects, and let's just say it caused quite a stir.

Putting Gleb Pugachyov ahead of Alexander Zharovsky clearly surprised people, since Zharovsky is generally considered to have more potential than Pugachyov.

However, this Sunday morning, Grant McCagg also released his own list of the top prospects—excluding goalies, though.

Just like NHL.com, McCagg also ranks Pugachyov ahead of Zharovsky.

Clicking on the video below will take you directly to McCagg's final top 5.

Not only did he rank Pugachyov ahead of Zharovsky, but in his view, David Reinbacher is a better prospect than Michael Hage.

Here is the complete top 10 list of the Habs' top prospects according to McCagg:

#1 – David Reinbacher

#2 – Michael Hage

#3 – Gleb Pugachyov

#4 – Alexander Zharovsky

#5 – Bryce Pickford

#6 – Adam Engstrom

#7 – Tyler Thorpe

#8 – Owen Beck

#9 – Florian Xhekaj

#10 – Vinzenz Rohrer

As for me, I think there are several surprises in this ranking.

Obviously, having Pugachyov ahead of Zharovsky and Reinbacher ahead of Hage is surprising. The uncertainty surrounding Reinbacher's health raises a lot of questions, and Zharovsky has the potential to become a top-6 forward, unlike Pugachyov.

However, Reinbacher's profile remains very interesting, especially given that the big club is lacking a reliable, defensively sound right-handed defenseman.

In fact, I think a guy like L.J. Mooney deserves to be on this list more than Rohrer. Not only does he have the talent, but he also plays with a lot of intensity, despite his small stature.

In short, a ranking is always subjective, and we know McCagg likes to stir things up, but when he thinks a player will be good, he rarely changes his mind. Remember that he had his eye on Kapanen before he officially made the jump to the NHL (even though many didn't see him playing in the top six), and let's just say his rookie season didn't disappoint (22 goals).


Quick Notes

– Don't jump to conclusions: Even though Pugachyov played a preseason game in the MHL, that doesn't mean he's been demoted.

– Read more.

– Will the Portuguese star hang up his cleats at the end of this season?

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