Could Ivan Demidov give the Canadiens back-to-back Calder Trophy winners?

When the Montreal Canadiens passed on Matvei Michkov, who many analysts viewed as having the potential to be the next Russian superstar, fans were perplexed by the team’s decision to pass on a prospect considered to be a slam-dunk pick. The Canadiens took David Reinbacher with the fifth overall pick in 2023, strengthening their defence for the future. However, just a year later, they landed their very own potential Russian superstar.

The same situation arose in the 2024 NHL Draft. The Canadiens once again had the fifth overall pick, and when they saw another Russian prospect start to slide, they did not hesitate. Most scouts and analysts had Ivan Demidov as a top-three player in the draft, and when he was still there at the fifth pick, it was a no-brainer for the Canadiens to take him with their pick. Now, a year later, after a brief showcase at the end of last season, Demidov is set for his rookie season and is expected to be a key contributor for the Canadiens. His high-end skill was put on notice in the final two games of last season and into the playoffs, but we will now find out what Demidov can produce over an entire season.

Russian dominance

The main reason why Demidov fell in the 2024 NHL Draft was that he was still under contract with the team he was playing for in the KHL, SKA Saint Petersburg, which led to some uncertainty about when he would finally make the transition to North America. With that all still up in the air, Demidov did not let it affect his play on the ice. Demidov was not just a force for SKA Saint Petersburg last season, but he was breaking records in the process. As an 18-year-old, Demidov led the team in scoring with 19 goals and 49 points in 65 games. His production as a teenager was unlike anything ever seen in the KHL, breaking Kirill Kaprizov's record for the most points scored by a player under 20 years old in a single season, with the previous record being 43. His record-breaking season made him an easy selection to take home the Alexei Cherepanov Award, given to the rookie of the year in the KHL.

Following the end of the KHL season, Demidov put all the uncertainty to bed, as he terminated his contract with SKA Saint Petersburg and signed his entry-level deal with the Canadiens. He immediately packed his bags and made his way to Montreal. Demidov made his debut for the Canadiens in the penultimate game of the season against the Chicago Blackhawks. Habs fans did not have to wait long to see a glimpse of Demidov's potential, as he became just the second player in Canadiens history to have a multi-point game in their debut before turning 20 years old. Demidov remained in the Canadiens' lineup for their playoff run, producing two assists in five games, before being eliminated by the Washington Capitals. The Russian winger showed flashes of his potential, and he will have high expectations going into this season.

Back-to-back rookie of the year trophies?

Demidov will have the opportunity to show what he is made of right from the jump. He will likely start the season in a top-six role and on the Canadiens' top powerplay unit. With some uncertainty about what the Habs will do with their second forward group, Demidov could become a catalyst on their second line, leaning on his dynamic offensive capabilities. In all likelihood, he will at least be starting the season on a line alongside Patrick Laine, which will give him a reliable sniper he can attempt to create chances for. Demidov is in a great situation to start the year. Most of the time, for a rookie, they need to work their way up the lineup, but he showed enough promise last season to have the luxury to begin the year with the Canadiens' best offensive players, which should only help his stats.

It is no secret that Demidov is going into next season with high expectations, which is warranted based on his play so far. He led his team in scoring as a teenager in a men's league in Russia, winning the Rookie of the Year award, and became an effective player in the NHL almost immediately after making his debut at the end of the season. His work ethic is not in question either; basically living at the team’s training facility all summer, working on improving his game. It should not be too much to ask to see a similar type of production we saw from him last season in the KHL. He finished with 49 points in 65 games last season, but if you project it over 82 games for an NHL schedule, that would have been right around 60 points, which is a realistic number. Somewhere around 20 goals and 60-65 points should be the ballpark. He will not be tasked with being the focal point of the offence; the Canadiens have Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield for that. Instead, he will be asked to be a reliable secondary scorer, something the Habs have lacked over the last couple of seasons.

Demidov will be looking to win his second straight Rookie of the Year trophy, and could become the first player to win both the KHL and NHL rookie of the year honours. At the same time, with Lane Hutson winning the Calder Trophy last season, if Demidov can win the trophy, it will be just the fourth time in NHL history that a franchise has back-to-back rookie of the year winners, first since 1967-68 when Bobby Orr and Derek Sanderson won it for the Boston Bruins. Demidov will have ample opportunity to showcase that his hype is warranted, and who knows, he could be walking away with his very own Calder Trophy when the season is done.