Canadiens prospect Ivan Demidov may not have arrived in North America yet, but he’s already under the Montreal microscope.
Currently playing out the final year of his contract with KHL club SKA Saint Petersburg, the young forward got off to a hot start in his home country’s most competitive pro league. However, Habs fans have quickly noticed that the Russian sniper has seen his ice time dwindling over the past few weeks.
Jeff Gorton, the Canadiens’ executive vice president, has taken notice as well. Appearing as a guest on the RDS panel show L’Antichamre on Tuesday, Gorton addressed the situation surrounding Demidov’s playing time and the Canadiens’ limited control over the young star.
“We’ve seen what you see with his ice time dipping. We are in contact with the [SKA] organization. They know how we feel,” the 56-year-old said. “This is the number-one reason why when we have a player like that… you wanna sign him and get him over and control all of it right away.”
On peut sentir que Jeff Gorton a hâte qu’Ivan Demidov débarque en Amérique du Nord ! 😅
Ne manquez pas notre entrevue avec le vice-président exécutif aux opérations hockey des Canadiens, dès 22h30 sur les ondes de RDS. 📺 pic.twitter.com/Jc5m5p383X
— L'Antichambre (@Antichambre) October 15, 2024
Many fans want Demidov to get to Quebec as soon as possible, arguing that the Habs should simply buy out the player’s contract. But Gorton says that’s not possible.
“Because of the situation in the KHL not having an agreement with the [NHL], we can’t just end his contract any time we want,” Gorton explained. Everybody thinks we can buy him out of his contract, it’s not realistic.”
Despite being demoted to the fourth line or being scratched from the lineup altogether occasionally, Demidov is posting respectable offensive numbers this season with nine points over 16 games.
Ivan Demidov took matters into his own hands. 😤
5th goal by the 18-year-old forward! pic.twitter.com/sD6lhvESyV
— KHL (@khl_eng) October 15, 2024
But given SKA’s surplus of players, it’s understandable that Montreal’s fifth overall pick sometimes gets overlooked.
“We’re frustrated that he’s not playing more. At the same time, we know he’s a very gifted player. We also know their team has 35 players on it,” said Gorton, who also admitted to reaching out to the Russian club.
“We are in contact with his team over there, and it’s certain that we would like him to play a lot more. It’s a situation that is beyond our control and can be frustrating, but we are satisfied with his performances when he gets the playing time he deserves.”
In the meantime, like so many impatient fans, all Gorton and his staff can do is wait.
“We have to respect his contract in Russia. He has only one year left on his deal with SKA. We will be patient with him and we look forward to seeing him in Montreal.”