The Montreal Canadiens may be stuck in a rough patch with just one win in their last seven games, but with a strong group of young talent in the pipeline, there’s still plenty of reason to be hopeful.
One standout among their pool of promising prospects is Ivan Demidov, who’s been turning heads in the KHL with SKA Saint Petersburg, giving Habs fans a glimpse of what’s to come.
Despite focusing on his production and navigating inconsistent ice time in Russia, Demidov revealed he’s been keeping an eye on the Habs, who drafted him fifth overall in June. He’s confident their current struggles are simply growing pains.
“The Canadiens are in a small hole right now, but this is understandable,” the 18-year-old said in an interview with RG.org over the weekend. “They have one of the youngest teams in the league. I think they will fix everything. They will be fine.”
Demidov also shared high praise for one of his future teammates, Lane Hutson.
“I really like Lane Hutson,” he said of the rookie defenceman. “He is playing brilliantly.”
With six goals and 19 points, Demidov has claimed KHL Rookie of the Week honours multiple times this season, adding highlights to his reel nearly every night.
Ivan Demidov’s 6th goal of the season. GET HIM ON A PLANE. pic.twitter.com/xiRsedP7Ku
— HFTV (@HFTVSports) October 30, 2024
But even though Canadiens fans are eagerly waiting for his North American arrival, SKA’s head coach, Roman Rotenberg, insists that the winger is better off in Russia in the meantime.
“I can honestly tell you that not only his hard work and our good work with him in the summer helped him develop, but also his partners. I will honestly tell you that there are no partners today in Montreal as Ivan has in SKA,” Rotenberg noted in an RG.org interview. “There are no such centres in Montreal, no such wingers now. Of course, opinions on this matter may differ. But this is my opinion.”
As the Canadiens sit in last place in the NHL and Demidov continues to find chemistry with ex-NHL star Evgeny Kuznetsov, it’s hard to argue with the bench boss’ logic.
This pass by Demidov to Kuznetsov 🤤 pic.twitter.com/ZORXBadMzT
— KHL (@khl_eng) October 28, 2024
Nevertheless, a few members of the Habs’ brass are expected to make a trip to Saint Petersburg sometime this month to check on the youngster’s development.
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