The Montreal Canadiens have not done much this offseason. As it stands, the Canadiens will enter next season with a very similar roster. The major roster moves were long-time Canadiens forward Brendan Gallagher being traded to the Vancouver Canucks, and depth centre Joe Veleno leaving to sign with the New York Rangers. The Canadiens’ additions mainly addressed the team’s depth, bringing in Sasha Pastujov, Maksymilian Szuber, and Brett Berard to help round out their AHL roster. On paper, it does not look like the team made significant improvements, but their biggest upgrade will likely be Ivan Demidov taking a leap in his progression in year two. Demidov has looked like a potential star since making his debut at the end of the 2024-25 season against the Chicago Blackhawks, and after a 62-point rookie season, his slow end to the season shows there is still room to grow for the Russian winger.
Demidov was everything the Canadiens hoped for as a rookie
Demidov came into the NHL with a lot of hype even before playing a game. The dynamic winger was largely viewed as the best prospect not named Macklin Celebrini in the 2024 NHL Entry Draft. His contract in the KHL with SKA St. Petersburg made some teams wary about when he would make the transition to the NHL, which led to him sliding down to fifth overall. The Canadiens did not second-guess themselves, taking him with the fifth pick, and less than a year later he was in the NHL. He played in two games at the end of the 2024-25 regular season, as well as the team’s five playoff games, but you could already tell the Canadiens found something special. The hype was only building, and going into his rookie season, Demidov was viewed as the favourite to take home the Calder Memorial Trophy. Despite finishing second for the trophy, he still had a season worthy of winning the Calder.
When the puck is on his stick, Demidov is must-see TV. He has a unique ability to create offence out of nothing thanks to his unbelievable stickhandling and vision, making him one of the more exciting players to watch in the entire league. His production was not that of a rookie. He had 19 goals and 43 assists in 82 games, leading all rookies in points. In most seasons, Demidov’s rookie performance would have made him a shoo-in for the Calder. However, New York Islanders’ Matthew Schaefer tied the NHL record for most goals by a rookie defenceman in league history, getting every single first-place vote. Demidov received 120 second-place votes, and even though he was fantastic as a rookie, he struggled with consistency late in the season. If he can address those issues, the sky is the limit.
Demidov needs to become a game-changer in Year 2
It is normal for rookies to struggle late into the season, and that was no different for Demidov. Hitting the rookie wall is real, and for a lot of them, it is the most games they have ever played in a single season. Demidov played in all 82 games last season, but before that, the most games he had ever played in a season was 65, and that does not include the Canadiens extended playoff run. In Demidov’s first 65 games last season, he had 52 points, which was 0.80 points per game. In the final 17 games, he had 10 points, a 0.59 points-per-game pace, which is a significant drop-off. Juraj Slafkovsky moving back up to the first line after the Olympic break could be a factor in his production dipping, with the Russian winger having the majority of his success alongside the former first-overall pick. However, the most likely reason could be that Demidov ran out of gas.
It was Demidov’s first time experiencing what a gruelling 82-game NHL schedule is like, and with anything, there is always an adjustment period. Another offseason to prepare for the increased workload should do wonders for Demidov, even if the schedule is expanding to 84 games this season. The Canadiens know he is special, rewarding him with an eight-year, $73.20 million contract, making him the second-highest-paid player on the roster. With how the Canadiens roster is currently constructed, they need him to be a game-changer. The pressure on offence falls on the top trio of Nick Suzuki, Cole Caufield, and Slafkovsky, but if Demidov can raise his game and consistency over an entire season, he could be the engine that makes the team’s second line tick. In an ideal world, Demidov becomes a point-per-game player in his second season. What is most important, though, is whether Demidov is still an effective player late in the season, something we will have to wait and see.
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