For many Montreal Canadiens fans, drafting highly touted prospect Ivan Demidov with the fifth overall pick has been the highlight of the offseason.
As it turns out, plenty of the Russian forward’s future teammates are also pumped up.
Speaking with reporters at the 2024 Presidents Cup media day, Canadiens captain Nick Suzuki and first-line sniper Cole Caufield touched on a few hot topics surrounding the team.
“It’s pretty exciting. Everyone in the organization is fired up for that pick,” said Caufield, who texted Demidov shortly after the Habs made the selection. “A couple of us have reached out. He seems like a really good kid. And from his highlights… Everyone should be excited to get a player like that and I know we’re excited.”
Cole Caufield confirme que plusieurs joueurs du CH ont écrit à Ivan Demidov après sa sélection et que tous dans l'organisation sont emballés par sa sélection! 🤝 pic.twitter.com/BtbGUJGGWU
— RDS (@RDSca) August 6, 2024
Luckily, the Habs don’t have to wait an eternity for his NHL debut.
Demidov, who has one year remaining on a Russian contract, could make his way to North America, as soon as next spring. The 2025 KHL playoffs are set to finish in late April, which means he could potentially join the Canadiens for the final games of the upcoming season.
Other notable offseason moves from Montreal’s front office included contract extensions for Juraj Slafkovsky, Kaiden Guhle, Arber Xhekaj, and Justin Barron.
Suzuki is pleased to see management prioritizing the team’s future.
“All four of those guys are really young pieces that showed a lot,” the 24-year-old noted. “It’s nice to get them signed and have a core that we can for a long time.”
Meanwhile, despite the Canadiens finishing last in the Atlantic Division for the past two seasons (and missing the playoff for the last three), the locker room seems to have its sights set on a postseason appearance.
“[Making the playoffs] is our goal. We’re all coming in wanting to make the playoffs and go as far as we can and win the Cup,” Suzuki added. “Every year, you’re climbing that mountain trying to get to the top. We took a great step in the right direction and I think we will continue to do that with our group getting a bit older and more mature.”