Alexander Zharovsky keeps climbing, and the question every Canadiens fan is asking is simple: when does he come over? On Wednesday night in Ufa, the 19-year-old forward scored his sixth goal of the season and added an assist as Salavat Yulaev crushed Lada 5-0. Over his last seven games he has 4 goals and 6 assists for 10 points.
The Game: A Goal, Then a Pass That Set Up Another
Zharovsky’s goal came from the slot, a one-timer that he put away for his sixth of the season. That is the kind of goal that tells a coach he is finding space without the puck, not only creating with it.
His second point showed the other side of his game. On a late power play, he took the puck and made a cross-ice pass to Sheldon Rempal, who finished it for his second goal of the night. A cross-ice pass on the power play forces the penalty killers to shift quickly from one side to the other, and that is where the open net comes from.
Those two points bring him to 18 points in 23 games (6 goals, 12 assists) with a plus-8 rating. Salavat is now 11-11-1 and the win snapped a three-game losing streak. You can follow every game on his HABSHQ prospect page and in the daily Game Results.
Seven Games, Four Goals, Ten Points
The recent run is not a small bump. Four of his six goals this season and 10 of his 18 points came in the last seven games. Before that stretch he had 2 goals and 6 assists in 16 games, a solid start but nothing that turned heads. Something has clicked in the past two weeks, and the numbers below explain what.
What the Numbers Say
| KHL regular season | GP | G | A | PTS | +/- | SOG | SH% | TOI/G | PP TOI/G |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-26 | 59 | 16 | 26 | 42 | +7 | 132 | 12.1% | 15:06 | 3:22 |
| 2026-27 | 23 | 6 | 12 | 18 | +8 | 46 | 13.0% | 13:49 | 1:24 |
Source: KHL official statistics, through Nov 4.
It is even-strength production. All six of his goals this season came at even strength. Last year he scored 6 of his 16 on the power play, and this year he has none. His power-play time dropped from 3:22 a game to 1:24, but his even-strength ice time went up from 11:43 to 12:24. His total ice time is down 1:17 a game, yet he is scoring at a higher rate: 0.78 points per game against 0.71 last season. That is a player producing more with fewer minutes and less help from the man advantage.
The shooting is not a fluke. He fires about two shots a game (46 in 23 games) and is scoring on 13.0 percent of them, close to the 12.1 percent he shot last season. When the shooting percentage matches last year’s, a hot streak is not luck. It is more chances from better spots.
He is a playmaker first. Twelve assists to six goals says he sees the ice well. For a 6-foot-2, 179-pound left shot who is still 19, that is a strong profile for a young forward who will eventually have to handle faster, tighter NHL ice.
Can He Join the Canadiens This Season?
The Canadiens drafted Zharovsky in the second round (34th overall) in 2025, but he is not under an NHL contract. His KHL contract with Salavat runs until May 31, 2027. Last season he won the KHL’s rookie of the year award with 16 goals and 42 points in 59 games, so Salavat knows exactly what it has.
Salavat’s CEO said back in December that the club would not be forced to let him go, but that if he is ready for the NHL in a year, they will let him leave. That sounds cooperative, and it matters, because leaving before May 31 requires both sides to agree.
The model everybody points to is Ivan Demidov. SKA was eliminated in the first round of the 2025 KHL playoffs, his contract was terminated by mutual agreement on April 8, and he signed his three-year entry-level deal with the Canadiens the same day. Zharovsky could follow that path, but only if several things line up.
| Scenario | What has to happen | When he arrives |
|---|---|---|
| The Demidov path | Salavat misses the playoffs or goes out early, both sides agree to end the contract, and the Canadiens are still playing | April 2027 |
| The summer path | Salavat plays deep into the Gagarin Cup, so he stays until his contract ends on May 31 | Signs after May 31, camp in September 2027 |
| No early release | Salavat keeps him through the end of the contract even if the season ends early | 2027-28 season |
Our scenarios based on his contract dates and the Demidov precedent.
Our read: April is possible, but it needs a lot to go right, starting with Salavat and the Canadiens both playing meaningful hockey at the right time. Plan for 2027-28 and treat an April debut as a bonus. If Salavat is eliminated early and the Canadiens are in a playoff race, expect that conversation to start the day the KHL season ends.
What to Watch Next
First, whether the even-strength goals keep coming. Second, whether Salavat gives him his power-play time back, because that is where he scored 6 goals last year. Third, how Salavat finishes the regular season, because that decides which road he takes. We will keep following him on the Euro prospects stats page.
Sources: KHL (en.khl.ru) player and standings data, Nov 4 box score; RDS; HabsWorld.
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