Most Montreal Canadiens fans knew that Ivan Demidov would play out the rest of the year with SKA-St. Petersburg in the KHL and come to North America full-time in 2025-26. The timelines didn't match for him to debut this season, as the KHL season and NHL regular season would end around the same time. However, things got much more interesting with the Canadiens' recent streak into playoff contention.
In his mid-season press conference, Kent Hughes mentioned that Demidov isn't in their plans for this season because of his KHL commitments. Theoretically, the Canadiens could sign Demidov on June 1 if they are still in the playoffs, but that would likely mean they made it to the Eastern Conference Finals. Habs fans hope that will be the case, but it feels like a pipe dream. It has been done before (see 2021), but this team doesn't have the same makeup as that run.
As reported by RG.org, the Canadiens' playoff push won't change their plans for Demidov. "The KHL has added another wrinkle to the process this year. Effective this season, the KHL has decided to extend its calendar, pushing the end of their season, on a contractual basis, from May 1 to May 31."
"Demidov can only leave for the NHL this season if Roman Rotenberg agrees to terminate his contract by mutual consent,” the source close to the matter also told RG. “This happened when Vladislav Gavrikov and Nikita Gusev left for the NHL. But in their case, there was a behind-the-scenes agreement that the players would go to the IIHF World Championship as soon as Columbus and Vegas were eliminated from the playoffs.”
Former Boston Bruin is high on Ivan Demidov
Longtime Canadiens foe Sergei Samsonov and for one season, a Canadien himself, is working in player development with Dan Milstein's Gold Star Hockey agency. He has been watching Demidov closely, as he is one of their brightest clients.
Samsonov told RG.org that Demidov has a bright future ahead in Montreal. "With his positive energy, he reminded me of a young Alex Ovechkin, when we played together during the 2004-05 lockout with Dynamo Moscow,” said Samsonov. “Demidov is already a professional in so many ways. Sooner or later, I am sure, he will light up the NHL. But we should not put too much pressure on young guys who are just coming to the league. In Canada, this happens often, and I hope Montreal will approach this wisely. Not everyone succeeds right away, and even top draft picks need time to reach their full potential.”
It was wise of Hughes to take the pressure off Demidov and clarify that he won't be in Montreal this season. Hopefully, it's a step in the right direction to avoid Samsonov's worries of too much being put on Demidov.