The thought was in the back of plenty of people's heads as SKA St. Petersburg continued adding forwards this offseason. They signed Evgeny Kuznetsov, Sergei Plotnikov, and Mikhail Grigorenko, which doesn't leave much room for younger players. The Canadiens need Ivan Demidov to have his best year of development this upcoming season, but he can't do that without ice time. So the question was: where will Demidov slot into their lineup?
The Canadiens want Demidov to play in one place next season. The best path for his development would be to play in SKA's lineup on the best team in the KHL. However, Demidov had an interview in Russia on Sunday, revealing he is currently the 13th forward on their roster. KHL teams are generally cautious in bringing young players into the lineup, which is why Demidov was on loan to HC Sochi in recent years.
The roster issue for SKA is that Demidov is in the last year of his contract, which prevents them from loaning him to a different team. They could trade him, but SKA isn't going to lose his rights so he can develop in the top league for the Canadiens. Demidov told reporters he would be open to joining the VHL next season, the North American equivalent to the AHL.
Ivan Demidov gave an interview recently talking about his KHL contract & trying to make the SKA roster. pic.twitter.com/R8wnqpGj3a
— /r/Habs (@HabsOnReddit) August 11, 2024
If Demidov remains in the 13th-forward role after training camp, the Canadiens must try to get him to North America early. Pressure will come from the fanbase to play him in the NHL, but the Canadiens could still place him in the AHL for the season. It won't be the same level of development as he may get in the KHL, but it's a better place to play than the Russian minor leagues.
Who knows, Demidov could come to North America and excel immediately. The Canadiens can start him in the AHL, and if he dominates that league, promote him to the big club. If not, there's no harm in playing a full season in the AHL and making his debut in the 2025-26 season. The 2025-26 start date looks like the initial plan anyway, so the only difference would be him playing in the AHL instead of the KHL.
Canadiens fans also shouldn't complain about an increased viewership possibility for the young star. The fans can make the trek to Laval to see him in person, and the attendance for those games would see sold-out arenas every night. It would bring added revenue to the AHL club, and you'd likely even see games moved to the Bell Centre to accommodate the added demand.
Canadiens fans reluctantly accepted Demidov staying in Russia for the final year of his contract. However, it'd be fair to disregard that if SKA continues to toy with his development.