Ivan Demidov is officially a Montreal Canadien. The Habs signed their 5th overall pick to a three year entry deal and he can now enter the NHL, just as the Montreal Canadiens are squeaking into the playoffs as the last playoff team to qualify.
So much for the Russian factor, right?
The Canadiens have agreed to terms on a three-year, entry-level contract (2024-25 to 2026-27) with forward Ivan Demidov.
— Canadiens Montréal (@CanadiensMTL) April 8, 2025
News release ↓ #GoHabsGohttps://t.co/2dy5C9n7Vk
The great storytellers will tell you that history repeats itself. "It's like poetry, sort of. They rhyme," says a young George Lucas as he embarks to follow up one of the most popular movie trilogies with another trilogy that certainly exists.
History is now repeating for the Montreal Canadiens, and time will tell whether this year will be a pale imitation of 2010 or 2021, but we will definitely be there for every step of the way.
The obvious comparison is 2010, where the 8th seed/2nd wildcard Montreal Canadiens against the Eastern Conference winning Washington Capitals, and those are mighty clear. But there are some connections to a similar Cinderella run back in 2021.
Hot New Prospect
Demidov is the most exciting prospect that the Montreal Canadiens have had in a long time. Even higher draft pedigree players like Juraj Slafkovsky at first overall, Jesperi Kotkaniemi at third overall, or David Reinbacher, taken just one year before at 5th overall.
There was also another prospect that Montreal Canadiens fans were excited to see that fell a little lower than he should. Instead of developing in the KHL, the diminutive Cole Caufield developed in Wisconsin.
In 2021, and in 2025, the Montreal Canadiens were fighting for the final playoff spot. With 10 games left, the college hockey season ended, and Cole Caufield made his NHL debut. While Caufield didn't score a goal or a point, he would make up for it in the coming games.
What a way to score your first goal. An overtime game winner in the middle of a playoff push. And then he did the same thing against Toronto. He finished his first, shortened regular season with 4 goals and 1 assist in 10 games.
Ivan Demidov didn't get 10 games in the regular season, unfortunately. Since his team, St. Petersburg SKA, made the playoffs, it took a bit longer for Demidov to make his debut in North America. But after setting records for a teenager in the KHL, Habs fans knew the wait would be worth it.
And a surprising signing and frantic arrival later, Demidov arrived in time for the Montreal Canadiens final two games, while at the end of a furious playoff race between the Canadiens and Blue Jackets.
It took less time for Demidov to make his impact than Caufield. Its hard to remember that loud of a reaction for an assist, which was ultimately trumped when Demidov broke through and scored in his first NHL period.
So can you really deny the echoes of Cole Caufield's debut with Demidov's? Both teams squeezed in the playoffs in the lowest seed possible and are given almost insurmountable odds.
Caufield and the 2021 Montreal Canadiens eventually went on to become the Kings of the North, and beat the Vegas Golden Knights only to lose in the Final against the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Caufield had a very good playoff, scoring 4 goals and 12 points in 20 games as a rookie.
No offense to Cole Caufield, but Ivan Demidov should turn out to be a better player, and if Demidov is better than Caufield, maybe the Canadiens could go even further than they did in 2021. Hey, a man can dream, can't he?