Canadiens fans shouldn't get hopes up about front office's trip to see Ivan Demidov

Social Media was buzzing on Saturday night when Elliotte Friedman dropped a report that Kent Hughes and the Montreal Canadiens front office were planning a trip to see Ivan Demidov in Russia. Demidov's time in Russia has been a hot-button issue as his ice time continues to dwindle, and Roman Rotenberg seems to punish him for the most minor mistakes. I told Canadiens fans not to panic last week as they'd feel the same way if the shoe was on the other foot, and I'll continue to try to fan the flames by telling them not to rush to conclusions about this trip.

A common practice is for NHL front offices to go to Europe to see their top prospects. The rumor is that Hughes had planned this trip since the summer, so it doesn't correlate with Demidov's lack of ice time. I'll continue to hammer home the point that the Canadiens and SKA-St. Petersburg had a plan for this season, and if nothing has come out, there's a good chance Montreal knows what they signed up for. It would be a type of story that reporters in North America would break if the Canadiens were upset with the usage, and so far, it's only been fans on social media who are upset.

I'm not saying Hughes and Rotenberg won't discuss Demidov's usage. I also won't know Hughes, and Demidov won't discuss his happiness level with the usage. However, unless the Canadiens organization is ready to pay handsomely for his services, Demidov will remain in Russia. He doesn't seem like a player who will leave the country on bad terms and risk being unable to return. He played with the U21 Russia team this summer and wants to play once the nation is allowed to play in international tournaments.

The KHL named Demidov one of their top players for Week 7. He had a goal and an assist in two games while playing only 11 minutes per game. The return of Evgeny Kuznetsov has given Demidov back his minutes, as Rotenberg seems set on keeping the pairing together. When Kuznetsov was injured, Rotenberg put Demidov as the 13th forward instead of giving him new linemates. As long as Kuzy stays in the lineup, Demidov should be fine. He wore the red jersey at today's practice, which signals he'll be on the third line with Kuznetsov again in the upcoming game.