To no one's surprise, Ivan Demidov is the talk of the hockey world. Most expected him to sign after the season, but it looks like he could soon be arriving in Canada. Some are speculating that he will meet the Montreal Canadiens in Toronto on Saturday night. Don't expect Demidov to play in that game, as the team plans for him to get a couple of days to integrate himself with the team. However, he will play at some point in the regular season.
Elliotte Friedman released the written version of his 32 Thoughts on Wednesday afternoon, and his first thought was about no other than Demidov. The Canadiens will likely gain plenty of attention over the week, which could've already been the case with their miraculous run to the playoffs. Demidov being part of the chase will make it all the more dramatic.
Ivan Demidov's Conn Smythe bonus
Sometimes teams will try to help their prospects maximize their earning potential in these special three-year deals by giving them a Conn Smythe Clause. It isn't common for teams to burn the first year of an entry-level deal at the end of the regular season, but it does happen in special cases. We already saw it this season with two "contending" teams, as Ryan Leonard joined the Washington Capitals and Gabe Perreault joined the New York Rangers.
Leonard will get some playoff experience with the Capitals, but Perreault's time has been a bit of a disaster. He was a healthy scratch on Wednesday night, and it doesn't look like the Rangers will earn a playoff berth. It was recently revealed that Leonard earned a $275,000 Conn Smythe bonus on his deal, and the Canadiens gave Demidov an even more significant amount. Demidov will receive $525,000 if he leads the Canadiens through the playoffs and earns the playoff MVP.
Speculation about contract clause
We already saw it happen once this year, where Oliver Kapanen couldn't go to the American Hockey League due to a clause in his contract that forced him back to Europe if he didn't have a spot on the Canadiens. Friedman believes that Kent Hughes gave Demidov due to the language that SKA used in the press release: “He will return to Saint Petersburg if he doesn’t gain a foothold in the NHL.”
Friedman believes that this indicates the European assignment clause. It has already been a circus around the Russian star and he hasn't landed in Canada. We can only assume it'll reach an excitement in Montreal that we haven't seen in a long time once he practices in the bleu, blanc, et rouge for the first time.