Ivan Demidov's future in Montreal revealed by top executive

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Tom Banks
October 17, 2024 (2:24 PM)

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Ivan Demidov was a huge selection for the Montreal Canadiens in the 2024 NHL Draft, and now we may know when the young star will be arriving in the NHL.

The Montreal Canadiens are building a very talented young core, and while the likes of Lane Hutson, Cole Caufield, and Juraj Slafkovsky are all at the NHL level now, they still have some very talented prospects waiting in the wings. The biggest name of all of those is the No. 5 overall draft pick in the 2024 NHL Draft Ivan Demidov, an 18-year-old winger who has shown he has the capability to play at the highest level in Europe despite his age.

This season with Ska St. Petersburg, he's played in 16 games while tallying a solid 5 goals and 9 points, but much has been made of his playing time, with some calling for him to come to North America early. Unfortunately, given his contract with the KHL that simply can't happen, and that situation has now been addressed by Jeff Gorton, the Canadiens Executive Vice President of Hockey Operations.

"We are in contact with his team over there, and we obviously would like him to play much more. It's a situation beyond our control and can be frustrating, but we are satisfied with his performance when he gets the ice time he deserves."

When asked if we could see Ivan in Montreal this year, Jeff responded:

"Due to the relationship between the NHL and the KHL, we have to respect his contract over there. He has only one year left on his contract with SKA. We will be patient with him and look forward to seeing him in Montreal."

Unfortunately for those fans looking to see Demidov in a Canadiens or a Laval Rocket uniform this year, it can't happen, but with Gorton pointing out he has just one year left on his current deal, that signals he'll be in Montreal very soon after that. Despite being just 18 years old, Demidov has proven he can produce at a high level already, and with a potential spot on the third line opening up next season, expect to see him in Montreal along with the injury David Reinbacher as the future officially arrives in Montreal.