Patrik Laine and Ivan Demidov: Solving two problems with one move

The Montreal Canadiens believed they found a perfect piece for their second line when they acquired Patrik Laine in the offseason. He could see some chemistry with Alex Newhook and Kirby Dach this season before Montreal would have to decide on his future in his contract's final year in 2025-26. The 2025-26 season would also be the expected start date for Ivan Demidov's NHL career, whom they drafted with the fifth overall pick in the 2024 draft. Demidov and their other first-round pick, Michael Hage, could debut next season and turn the Canadiens into a three-line monster.

Canadiens fans had plenty of optimism about the season on Friday, but that all changed in 48 hours with a weekend that will sting for quite a while. It started on Saturday night when Laine took a knee-on-knee hit against the Toronto Maple Leafs, which sent him out of the arena on crutches with a brace on his knee. The Canadiens didn't release an update on Sunday, but an update should be out by Monday morning. Everyone expects the worst: a torn ACL like Kirby Dach's last season and a full season lost for the Habs' newest sniper.

The fans thought they could find solace in watching Demidov on Sunday morning. Demidov has been performing well in the KHL, and it seemed like he was well past the lack of ice time and concerns with head coach Roman Rotenberg. Demidov registered an assist in the second period and looked like one of SKA's best players. He took a borderline tripping penalty near the end of the second period, which ended when Kunlun Red Star scored a goal with the man advantage. Rotenberg felt like the penalty was worthy of sitting Demidov on the bench for the rest of the game, proving that the concerns about the KHL's treatment of young players wouldn't go away as easily as fans expected.

Demidov was one of the biggest threats on SKA's roster. Rotenberg's decision to bench him for that penalty is egregious and gives reason to try to pull Demidov out of the KHL sooner rather than later. Rotenberg will never give Demidov any credit for success but is quick to punish him when he does something poorly. It'll be a poor year for him if this continues, and the points he is scoring to help his development may not be worth the headache.

So, what can the Canadiens do to mitigate this issue? The new league rules open the ability to pay SKA a small fee to transfer Demidov to North America. The option didn't make much sense earlier this summer, as the Canadiens could've contended for a playoff spot without the prospect which would allow him to develop at his own pace in the KHL. However, Demidov is already showing that he is capable of playing with professionals after his early success with SKA in limited opportunities.

Well, we can try to take a positive out of the Laine injury news, which is the only thing that can make Canadiens fans accept their fates from this past weekend. There is a wing spot wide open now on the second line if Laine has to miss any time with the knee injury. The Canadiens could pay the fee, bring Demidov to North America a year early, and slide him next to Dach and Newhook. It wouldn't be an ideal situation, but it's a move that would prove to the fans they are serious about going from rebuild to contender.

Kent Hughes may feel like the move would be too spontaneous and settle for another year of being a non-playoff team. There were no guarantees that Laine and the new additions would turn the Canadiens into a serious contender. They could chalk it up to bad luck and live to fight another year. However, a bold purchase of Demidov's rights would be the shot in the arm this fanbase needs.