Gleb Pugachyov “uninterested and out of shape”: recurring concerns

Gleb Pugachyov isn't exactly inspiring confidence right now.

The Canadiens' first-round pick in the 2026 draft, who has failed to break into his KHL team's lineup, is currently playing in the junior leagues.

This is unlike Ivan Demidov and Alexander Zharovsky during their 18-year-old seasons, both of whom played in Russia's top league after being drafted by the Canadiens.

Concerns about Pugachyov had begun to surface recently. People were wondering, in veiled terms, what was behind this demotion of the 2026 first-round pick.

But now one theory is looking increasingly plausible.

Martin Thérriault, in his daily segment on BPM Sports, spoke of a lack of engagement in the prospect's play and the fact that Pugachyov was clearly not in good enough shape. His physical conditioning is being called into question.

And I don't know about you, but this worries me on two levels.

The first is pretty obvious. If a player isn't in good enough shape and doesn't seem to want to be there, let's just say it doesn't bode well for the future.

That shouldn't be the case.

But the second level is that these are the same words Grant McCagg used in the last few hours regarding the Flanelle's prospect.

We discussed this this morning in an article about Pugachyov.

Is Pugachyov out of shape? Not sure, but so far this season in both the MHL and KHL, he has been behind the play and often disinterested. Yes, it's early, but it's been a recurring theme. #HabsCast

Thérriault noted that Pugachyov seemed to lack intensity after just 40 or 45 seconds on the ice yesterday. His defensive backchecking was sluggish.

Even when he was in the offensive zone, he seemed to run out of steam quickly. For such an energetic player, his lack of stamina is cause for concern.

Not seeing him play on the first power play (in junior hockey…) and seeing him benched at one point in the second period after a mistake (again, in junior hockey!) doesn't inspire confidence.

The sooner he gets the message, the better off he'll be. And that's undoubtedly what the Canadiens want.

We're in for an intra-squad game this morning in Brossard.

Cole Caufield and Kaiden Guhle are absent.

From the source David Reinbacher, Adam Engstrom, and Florian Xhekaj are among those participating. @DLCoulisses #GoHabsGo #Caufield #Guhle #NHL

From the source With Cole Caufield out, Kirby Dach rounds out the first line alongside Nick Suzuki and Juraj Slafkovsky. @DLCoulisses #GoHabsGo #Dach #NHL

Lane Hutson and Noah Dobson form a defensive pairing, while Jayden Struble rotates in.

The other pairings are as follows:

• Carrier – Xhekaj• Engstrom – Reinbacher

Mike Matheson practiced on his own but is not participating in the intra-squad game.…

He'll be in the lineup tonight after missing 84 games. https://t.co/DD04R3OUak https://t.co/yByP70qJmz

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From the source New, for @TheAthletic: What the NHL and NHLPA will be monitoring as their new CBA takes effect next week https://t.co/OsX3UpwDDa

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For everyone to read (and hopefully be kind in their replies)https://t.co/GP2lHajloD

– Mario Lemieux: Being the Penguins' owner for the long term wasn't part of his game plan.

Josh Yohe: A source close to Mario Lemieux explained that he never really intended to own the Penguins for as long as he did; selling his shares was a financial formality and not a sign that he dislikes the team's new ownership – The Athletic (9/2) ____ NHLRR:…