Ivan Demidov is going to open up so much for the Montreal Canadiens

Ivan Demidov continues to warrant the attention of the Montreal Canadiens - faithful, management and beyond.

Watching him play, makes you question the treatment he has been dealt this season by SKA St. Petersberg head coach Roman Rotenberg. In game one of the playoffs, Demidov barely saw the ice at all, it was almost an insult to the player. But, Rotenberg must have got a glimpse of what everybody else was seeing - Demidov deserves the ice time.

It is impossible to display any creativity, or skill and definitely to make any kind of impact if the bench is where you get to watch the game from. Not play the game, because Rotenberg didn't allow him to do that. But the second game for SKA was one that saw No. 91 promoted to a higher role within the lineup.

Judging by his first goal scored in a long time, the fashion and they way it was scored, it was obvious that the playoffs weren't intimidating to Demidov whatsoever. Demidov's off-puck game was impressive on his tally, and he arrived at the net front at the perfect time to tap in a great cross-crease feed off the right half-wall from Nikita Zaitsev.

If you notice, Demidov scored just after the halfway point of the opening period. In game one, Demidov didn't leave the bench for the entire period. Watching what he was able to do with a longer leash, and increased minutes was nothing short of impressive.

You can watch the highlight above, but judging by his ice time, which was 17:36, Demidov finally had a little confidence. He recorded five shots, a roughing penalty and one hit in SKA's second-consecutive loss to start their playoff run. Demidov was involved in everything and created a flurry of chances, and if I were a betting man, I would wager that he will see plenty of ice time in game three, with Dynamo Moscow looking to grab a stranglehold 3-0 series lead.

It's rather unclear what will happen, should SKA find themselves watching the playoffs after bowing out quickly to Dynamo. It hasn't happened, and there is every opportunity for them to turn things around. But it's curious to know what the next step is for Demidov if his team is swept.

I know another lineup that could use his services immediately.

Fast forward to October

Far too many plays are killed on the right half-wall of the Canadiens' power play, due to a lack of creativity and mostly, a willingness to shoot the puck.

Lane Hutson is doing all that he can at the top of the blueline, while Patrik Laine sits in his office on the left half-wall. Cole Caufield assumes the bumper position, and Nick Suzuki sort of floats around the zone, not quite like a rover, but you get the idea. As for Juraj Slafkovsky, he is best suited parked in front of the net, because he is wired naturally to shoot the puck from a standstill.

I feel that for that reason alone, when Demidov arrives in Montreal, it won't be long before he plays his way onto the top power play unit. I think that Slafkovsky would be a wise netfront presence on the unit, however, I feel he will be the likely odd man out. Perhaps helping out the second unit, which has been anything but impressive this season.

The prospect of Hutson working the puck around the top, and having two options on either wall like Laine and Demidov, is a very exciting one. Suzuki and Caufield are the cherry's on top, and with extra space afforded by Hutson and Demidov, I expect the Habs power play production to increase significantly.

It's not much longer to wait, and if you're like me, you would have Demidov over right now. Since that can't happen, after his team gets eliminated from the Gagarin Cup playoffs, would be the next best thing. But Rotenberg has his mitts firmly holding Demidov in St. Petersberg, so it's unlikely we see Demidov this season.

Next year, however, is when all the fun begins.