Jack Hughes and Kiril Kaprizov, Oh man!

The Montreal Canadiens have long lacked a true elite superstar talent, and the fact that Ivan Demidov was available when they drafted was almost baffling to management.

He was viewed as far and away the best talent available, and one of the players who had the best potential to become an NHL star. He skates like very few players in the league, both explosive and in a way that keeps defenders guessing because it's so unorthodox. He also possesses the puck skills to weave and wiggle through defenders, which if it translates to the NHL could be huge for the Canadiens.

Demidov comes off as a very confident kid, but not cocky, he loves to win and when he does he doesn't hide it. His joke about beating Juraj Slafkovsky in the Hlinka-Gretzky tournament and winning was pretty gold. His personality shines through, but his confidence in his own game paired with that makes it easy to see why Montreal picked him.

The guy nodding and licking his lips about Demidov's comments is Vincent Lecavalier, a special advisor of hockey operations for the Canadiens. He, as well as anybody knows how good Kirill Kaprizov and Jack Hughes. Being that he is from the Montreal area, he knows how the Habs have longed for a talent like Demidov and he has seen all of the scouting videos of Demidov.

A franchise player?

There aren't many franchise players in the NHL, in fact most teams don't have one player. So finding one, generally has to come through the draft or via free agency, which costs lots of money. The third option is obviously via trade, which is also extremely costly.

Demidov projects to be exactly that, and he wholesomely believes that he is exactly that. He manipulates defenders with an array of different passes and he attacks at full speed. Some players pass well or shoot well, but don't defend very well, Demidov plays a smart game in all three zones and drives the play offensively. His hands and feet move at the same speed and he never seems intimidated when it comes to challenging defenders.

Kaprizov and Hughes are the best players on their team and they continue to push the envelope, both improving every day and pushing their teammates to the highest level. With an improving core and a ton of talent coming through the pipeline, having a guy like Demidov in the fold will make the team better in more ways than one. I think that is exactly what a franchise player is, somebody who makes the team better because he is so good that he pushes others to be better.