Canadiens Prospect Draws Stunning Comparison to Legend Pavel Datsyuk From Scouts
Photo credit: Kim Klement-Imagn Images
The Montreal Canadiens believe they have found a top-level talent with Alexander Zharovsky, as some scouts do not hesitate to compare him to Pavel Datsyuk.
The name Alexander Zharovsky continues to be talked about in the Montreal Canadiens' circles. In fact, during an appearance on TVA Sports, agent Arseni Radkov did not hesitate to draw a flattering comparison between the young Russian and an NHL legend.
"He's like a Datsyuk in the way he handles the puck and sees plays. When I saw that the Habs picked him, I didn't understand: How is it that no one jumped on him in the 1st round?"
A comment like that says a lot. Pavel Datsyuk is known as one of the most skilled and intelligent forwards of his era. He literally inspired a generation of young Russian players.
This shows the level of raw talent that some observers already see in Zharovsky.
Here are a few clips that highlight this talent:
The Montreal Canadiens' bold gamble at the draft
In the Behind the Scenes documentary of the 2025 draft, Nick Bobrov, the Canadiens' director of scouting, explained the strategy behind this selection.
"The mandate was to find a talented player capable of playing in the top-6, and usually this type of talent disappears fairly quickly after a certain point in the draft,"
he said at a press conference at the Bell Centre.
According to him, finding a player of this caliber after the first round is rare, but certain circumstances sometimes allow this type of "slip."
Bobrov added that the Habs had Zharovsky ranked as a first-round pick on their internal list and that he knew there was competition.
"Just like in the Dobson case, we knew we were competing with several teams that were targeting the same players,"
Result: Montreal was ready to pay the price to make sure they got this offensive forward.
In my opinion, the more time passes, the more Zharovsky's selection looks like a steal in broad daylight.
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