Ivan Demidov's KHL plot thickens after Roman Rotenberg's recent comments

Plenty of coverage has happened about Ivan Demidov's place in the SKA-St. Petersburg lineup. Demidov revealed early in training camp that he may be a 13th forward during the regular season, which made us wonder if the Canadiens should pry him away from the KHL. Demidov's recent performances in the preseason made it look like he was earning a spot in the regular lineup, and his play in the Puchkov Tournament further solidified that point.

MatchTV recently caught up with SKA head coach Roman Rotenberg, who made some interesting comments about the development of Demidov. Reports came out that said the Canadiens and SKA were working together to further enhance Demidov's development, and this interview seems to confirm that.

"He can earn a place in any line. Ivan has improved a lot physically. He trains a lot. As you remember, we watched the MHL final together, standing at the boards. We discussed all these moments with Demidov. And he is a great guy. He listened to everything, returned from injury as a completely different player. And this is professionalism."

"There’s no point in Demidov going to the NHL until he’s ready to play on the first line. He needs to go step by step. We’ll make Ivan a leader. When he proves it with his actions and plays on the first lines of SKA, scoring goals, like he’s doing now on the Russian junior team, that will be a huge plus for everyone. And then Ivan will decide for himself what’s best for him. But in my opinion, there’s no point in going to Montreal’s fourth line or even to the AHL, where they can break your arms and legs."

While Rotenberg's vision of the AHL is a little outdated, he seems spot-on with his analysis of Demidov's future. It would be ideal for Demidov to earn a spot on the top line in SKA and play a season before coming to Montreal. If Demidov becomes a top player in Russia, he can easily step in to the Canadiens top-six and perform. However, the point still stands that the Canadiens need to worry if he is the 13th forward out of training camp.

If Demidov continues to play like he did so far this preseason, this all could be a moot point. He has been one of the best players in the Puchkov Tournament and is poised to star during the season.