Konyushkov happy to attend Habs development camp next year

The Montreal Canadiens have put together a solid group of young defender's, with hopes that they will be hard to play against in the future.

Before the 2024 NHL Draft, the majority of noise about the Habs prospect pool was all about defenseman. Lane Hutson, Logan Mailloux and David Reinbacher sit right at the top of the list of defenseman with large potential to play for the Canadiens soon. But there is another guy, who has yet to play in North America, Bogdan Konyushkov, who still has a full season in the Russian Kontinental Hockey League.

Konyushkov, the 21 year-old right-shot defenseman and captain for his squad Torpedo Novgorod Nizhny has all of his focus on the 2025-26 season. But the fact that he would be open to attend the Canadiens development camp at the beginning of the 2026-27 season, is reason for excitement. Konyushkov has back-to-back 25-plus point season in the KHL and still has a couple of years before he hits his prime.

There's a path to the NHL, but it will be competitive

If you take a look at the Canadiens right-shot defender depth chart, while there are differing opinions of how it shakes out, it features three guys at the top. Justin Barron has the most experience of the three, though he has struggled and could be leap-frogged by the two beneath him. Mailloux is closer to the NHL than Reinbacher, and he has a season of professional hockey under his belt.

Reinbacher, however, was selected fifth overall for a reason and it wouldn't be surprising if he made his way through the internal competition and found an NHL spot. Next year, while it's unlikely, it could be a possibility that Reinbacher plays for Montreal, which will make Konyushkov's path a difficult one to muck through. But the nature of the sport is the next man up, so if one guy doesn't perform then the next guy could take his spot.

There is no telling who gets traded, who sticks around and who gets sent down, but if Konyushkov shows well at camp, he could force Kent Hughes to make some decisions. It takes a special player to perform well in the KHL at 20 and 21 years old. But to be captain of the team and continue growing offensively is even more impressive.

Konyushkov isn't talked about very much, but I suspect that when he arrives in North America that will change.