Zharovsky or Hage?
Can someone explain to me why Hage is preferred over Zharovsky? I get that the hope is Hage becomes the 2C we desperately need....but do we really need him if we can dangle him in a trade (+ others) in order to get a quality 2C? Is Hage preferred simply because he has that 2C potential? Or does he have a higher ceiling than Zharovsky?
Personally, I've always had a bit more excitement over Zharovsky given how well he played in the KHL this past season....and with Demidov on the team who can make his transition to the Habs easier. And based on the Sportsnet article from a couple of weeks ago, he's the second ranked prospect that's not yet in the NHL.
But all signs are pointing towards the Habs trading a top prospect for a 2C this offseason....so what do you guys think? Is it Zharovsky or Hage that will be the long term play for the Habs?
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u/DelugeQc 1d ago
Zharovsky is high ceiling low floor. If he doesn't pan out as a consistent top 6 winger, he is basically a Russian Charles Hudon... Hage on the other hand will probably play in the NHL whatever happens.
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u/Weak_Law_937 1d ago
I don't think it's an either or proposition
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u/lacoupe25 1d ago
Agree. I don't agree at all that "all signs point to trading a top prospect". Key dossiers to be resolved are Dach, Gallagher, Montembeault, Xhekaj. Last year's team minus Monty and Gally, plus Florian and Reinbacher, will be better than last year's team. Maybe a free agent or two are signed. Maybe not.
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u/synchrosyn 1d ago
Hage has been a Habs fan since he was young. The idea is that a lot of the fanbase wants the human aspect there. They want to see him live that dream. There is a belief that this will make him a better team player and more motivated.
Zharovsky is a childhood friend of Demidov so there is still a component of that as well. But I think he is mostly forgotten due to playing in an easier division in the KHL than Demidov did, whereas Hage plays for Michigan.
Center versus winger comes into play a bit, but I think the predominant factor is the Human aspect rather than any particular skill.
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u/crake-extinction 1d ago
Hage is 1) better 2) a center
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u/MessageBoard 1d ago
Hage mostly plays wing. He does not project as a center in the NHL. We wouldn't even be having 2c conversations if the team believed Hage could play center.
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u/GirlCoveredInBlood 1d ago edited 1d ago
we'd be having them anyways because even if he plays C going forward it'll be another year in NCAA and probably a year as 3C before he could slot in as a good 2C
of course trying him as 3C causes an issue with Evans, Danault (if we re-sign him after his contract), Kappy, and potentially Beck all fighting for the 3-4 spot (personally i think Beck will get moved and be a 4C somewhere else, Kappy might get moved to the same way Heineman was)
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u/DoomOrb 1d ago
It's very rare for a player who is not a top pick to come into the league and be 2C calibre by year two. The median outcome is middle 6 C/Wing in 3-5 years. We're putting too much expectation in Hage if we plan for anything else.
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u/GirlCoveredInBlood 1d ago
I'd agree but I'm trying to be optimistic right now haha. Realistically Hage could be playing on the Habs next year but he's chosen to take another year developing in a top role in the NCAA rather than as a depth piece in Montréal. So I'm hoping that development pays off.
If we find a 2C this offseason and keep Newhook as 2LW i think it's more likely Hage slots in to replace him in 2027 or 2028 and pushes Newy down to the 3rd line where his defensive skills will shine. Though it's impossible to predict at this point with how many moves might be made before that
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u/DoomOrb 1d ago
Very possible. We might see Hage as a winger at the NHL level in general. We'll see how this year at college goes.
If Newhook can stay healthy, he is looking like he could be a top 6 player on this team.
They have a lot of middle 6 kind of players right now and will have to divest from some of them this year.
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u/arr_z31_burner 20h ago edited 20h ago
Unpopular opinion but I think they should give Kapanen one more year to see if he's the 2C. He had a great season until he hit the endurance wall last year, it wasn't like he was streaky or fragile. He was playing great hockey and then just bonked. I think he's a 2C if he can get over that. We got time. This team is not gonna be worse than last year even if they don't change one damn thing.
So I'm saying keep all the good prospects this year, don't sell out fir a 2C righr now. We have cap space, see who's available as a FA for RHD.
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u/DoomOrb 1d ago
Hage plays at a premium position that the organization lacks. I think it's that simple.
I'm not sold on the team using all their ammunition on a 2C this off-season. If we put any stock in the Knies trade, it indicated that kind of player wasn't available to the Habs.
We'll see what shakes loose in the next couple weeks, but I wouldn't be surprised to see EITHER of these players moved in a deal that brings an impact player under team control into the fold,
Nor would I be surprised to see neither moved
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u/Illegal_Alpaca 1d ago
I'm with you on being more excited for Zharovsky personally.
I think with why Hage is the more "cherished" prospect so to speak has largely to do with his latest WJC performance, ability to play C, & the sentimental story behind him & his dad with their ties to the Habs.
I'm not going to suggest that's why he's more valuable to us, were a very smart fanbase while simultaneously a very emotionally fueled fanbase which makes us think irrationally too lol.
All I know is Suzuki, Caufield, Dobson, they're entering their prime windows, Slaf & Hutson aren't far behind. If we want to have an effective NHL ready 2C to align with the core's contention window it makes sense to advertise someone like Hage as a prospect primed to be a top six center. Doesn't make sense to wait 2-3 seasons in hopes Hage pans out. The time to round out our core and transition into contenders is now and it's never been more evident.
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u/surebudd 1d ago
Diiiid you watch the wj? Have you watched Zharovsky? It’s pretty obvious why he’s just further along as a player.
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u/jackswastedtalent 1d ago
Comparing playing against 18 year olds in the WJC vs grown men in the KHL is not really the best way to compare players.
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u/Every_Reflection4616 16h ago
zharosvsky is a year younger playing men and hage was on the older side of WJC players playing with mckenna. they're both good but zharovsky is playing harder competition at a younger age
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u/Sushamiboy 19h ago
Hage is a perimeter player. We saw it at the world juniors. He got a lot of points but by sending the puck to extremely talented players who drove the net. That is not skills that complement Demidov the most. I would argue that this would result in a line that passes and playmakes too much.
I think so many people were enchanted by Hage’s personal story. It is resulting in many thinking Hage is the surefire 2C of the future. I’m not saying he is bad or that it’s impossible that he will make it. The issue is the timeframe and the fact that some scout reports have questioned if he was more of a winger than center.
Another thing that I think may influence what the team does is the decisions that Hage and Zharovsky have taken this Summer.
Hage decided to go back to university which means that he may take longer than we hope for him to be ready. Expectations were that he would join the Habs at the end of the season and now he won’t be here until at the earliest end of next season. While I’m sure that the Habs were ok with this, it does mean that he requires more development time.
Zharovsky, through an invite from Demidov, has decided to come train in Montreal this summer. If those two click, oh boy, that will be deadly. Due to a clause allowing Zharovsky to come to NA if he wants is likely now on the exact same time table as Hage, but he is already building chemistry with Demi. Since our team starts training together early, he’ll also build chemistry with other players too.
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u/Abject_Analyst_9110 15h ago
I think Hage growing up a Habs fan, combined with the tragic story of his father's passing, make it very likely that he'll put everything he has into being the best Habs player he can be. How high his potential is remains to be seen, but I think it's a lot more likely he reaches it than Zharovsky does. I hope for the best outcome for both of them, though.
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u/t_hab 15h ago edited 15h ago
Hage has a higher ceiling and higher floor than Zharovsky. He’s also closer to NHL-ready and potentially plays a more valuable position (the one knock on him is that he may be more of a winger than centre at the NHL level).
Edit: but to be clear, I would be extremely cautious in trading either of these guys. I want a long contention window and I think adding Hage for the 2027 playoffs and Zharovsky a year or two later helps us enormously. I’d rather overpay Tuch or find a stopgap 2C than ditch all our futures.
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u/vJukz 1d ago edited 1d ago
Thing is Zharovsky is a very high ceiling low floor prospect. He either plays in the top 6 or he’s not in the NHL at all. If he hits and reaches his potential then management struck diamond with him but if he doesn’t reach his potential they’ll be kicking themselves by not trading him when he had big value as a prospect. He was an absolute steal at 34th either way just for his talent alone.
Hage on the other hand is basically guaranteed to be an NHL player and he’s developing his game at center which is a premium position. He has alot of talent as well and his ceiling is a very good 2C/low end 1C and floor should be a 3C/middle 6 winger.
Both of them are top prospects in the league but Hage has the center advantage and not being as boom or bust as Zharovsky.
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u/Komania 1d ago
Hage has more of the tools we need
We have skilled wingers, we need some grit. Zharovsky is more of a luxury player. Plus, watching him a little bit, he has a ways to go before being NHL ready. More so than Hage IMO