“Gleb Pugachyov needs to play regularly” — Grant McCagg

Michaël Petit
“Gleb Pugachyov needs to play regularly” — Grant McCagg
Credit: Capture d'écran | Twitter

Montreal Canadiens fans will have another prospect to watch this year in the KHL.

Last year, there were already Alexander Zharovsky, Bogdan Konyushkov, and others, but now we can add Gleb Pugachyov to the list. However, it's not yet clear whether he'll see much ice time in the KHL.

He should get his chances, but all signs point to him shuttling back and forth between the Russian junior league (MHL), the KHL, and the VHL (the Russian equivalent of the AHL).

Grant McCagg closely follows the Habs' prospects on his podcast, HabsCast, and recently expressed concern about how the big power forward is being used.

McCagg says that Pugachyov needs to play regularly; otherwise, his development risks being slowed down.

Honestly, whether it's in the KHL, the VHL, or the MHL, he needs to play regularly and get more than just a few minutes per game.

I'd much rather see him play in the MHL, have a significant role, and develop his game than see him as a 13th forward in the KHL, as is currently the case.

Pugachyov is young and needs to play. He's not at the same stage as Michael Pezzetta, who accepted his role as the 13th or 14th forward while seeing very little ice time. For now, he needs to develop and reach his potential.

The tall Russian hasn't played in the last two weeks, according to what McCagg says in the tweet above, and there's nothing positive about that.

Even though the season has just begun, it's strikingly reminiscent of Ivan Demidov's situation during his first season in the KHL. He produced despite his limited ice time, making the most of every opportunity he had to prove himself, yet Roman Rotenberg preferred to play him on a fourth line more often than not.

Obviously, Gleb and Demidov aren't in the same league at all, especially in terms of potential and raw talent. Nevertheless, Habs fans would be up in arms if they saw Pugachyov shuttling back and forth between the KHL and the MHL, seeing little ice time in the KHL, and sitting out games.

They certainly don't want to relive a situation like that. There is still hope for Pugachyov, though, since he has a very interesting profile: a imposing and intimidating forward who knows how to play hockey.

Let's see how Torpedo's management handles him this season.


In a Nutshell

– Indeed, this is a very big risk on the part of the Canucks.

– We could see a three-team trade if Connor Hellebuyck is traded.

– Read more.

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