Canadiens Add Ivan Demidov for Playoff Push and Beyond
The Montreal Canadiens are doing something nobody expected outside of a handful of people: playing meaningful games at the end of the season. As it stands now, the Canadiens are six points clear of the New York Rangers and Detroit Red Wings for the final wild card spot in the East.
It has been an exciting season in Montreal, as the Bell Centre has been rocking late into the season. Regardless of what Vice President of Hockey Operations Jeff Gorton and General Manager Kent Hughes told the media, playing meaningful hockey was a must for this young group.
And as they inch closer to the playoffs and maybe fall behind, the excitement will only grow as their 2024 first-round pick (fifth overall selection), Ivan Demidov, will join the team for the final few games of the regular season and hopefully beyond.
On Tuesday afternoon, the KHL released Demidov from his contract with SKA St. Petersburg, and he was coming to play in the best league in the world, the NHL.
Thank you, Ivan ?
SKA and Ivan Demidov have taken a joint decision which will see the forward join the Montreal Canadiens this season. His KHL rights will remain with SKA. He will return to Saint Petersburg if he doesn’t gain a foothold in the NHL. pic.twitter.com/CsyMPKvE7k
— SKA Ice Hockey Club (@hcSKA_News) April 8, 2025
Soon after the news that he was no longer under contract, the Canadiens announced they had signed him up for a three-year entry-level deal.
The Canadiens have agreed to terms on a three-year, entry-level contract (2024-25 to 2026-27) with forward Ivan Demidov.
News release ↓ #GoHabsGohttps://t.co/2dy5C9n7Vk
— Canadiens Montréal (@CanadiensMTL) April 8, 2025
According to PuckPedia.com, his contract is worth $2.63 million with a salary cap hit of $941,000. He also receives a $97,500 signing bonus and a $525,000 bonus for winning the Conn Smythe Trophy.
The #GoHabsGo signed '24 #5 Pick Demidov to 3 year ELC starting this year
Yr 1 775K NHL, 97.5K Signing Bonus, 55K GP Bonus, 525K Conn Smythe Bonus
Yr 2: 877.5 & 97.5K SB, 1M "A" Perf Bonus, 1M "B PB
Yr 3 877.5/97.5/1M/2MCap Hit 941K, AAV $2.63M
Rep'd by @HockeyAgent1…
— PuckPedia (@PuckPedia) April 8, 2025
Canadiens fans are excited for Demidov to be in Montreal to join a team that has Lane Hutson, who is a virtual lock with 64 points, including 58 assists. Hutson broke Chris Chelios’s record for most assists by a rookie defenseman. Hutson has been a difference maker for Montreal.
Montreal hopes the same for Ivan Demidov upfront as he joins Cole Caufield, Nick Suzuki, and Juraj Slafkovsky. This past season, as an under-20 player in the KHL with SKA St. Petersburg, he recorded 49 points (19 goals and 30 assists) in 65 games. His 49 points set a new record in the KHL for a player under 20. The previous mark was 42, held by current Minnesota Wild forward Kirill Kaprizov.
There is a sense and a belief that he can transition like Kaprizov, Nikita Kucherov, and other top Russian players before him because of the skill set he brings. Demidov has an elite hockey sense with his creativity as a passer. He is calm and cool under pressure.
One of his big assets is his hands, as he can make plays with the puck and his ability to create space. There is a belief he can be a top-line player in the NHL. But don’t underestimate his shot, because he has a lethal wrist shot.
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Entering the season, there was much speculation about whether Demidov would actually join the Canadiens at the end of his KHL season. There was talk of him even staying in the KHL and playing in the lower league.
Most in Montreal thought there was a chance he could play this season and figured it would be similar to Matvei Michkov's situation in Philadelphia with the Flyers. We saw Michkov get out of his contract before the start of this season. Due to his offensive abilities, he is second behind us in rookie scoring with 58 points.
That is why so many people are excited that Ivan Demidov is coming over because of what he can bring. Again, it was a fluid situation. But things changed quickly, and the Canadiens have an exciting player who is ready to show what he has on the NHL level.
“Most likely, I’ll have time to play in the regular season for Montreal,” Demidov said exclusively to Marco D'Amico of RG Media. “My goal for the rest of the season is to adapt to this new style of hockey as quickly as possible and show what I’m capable of.”
Demidov has honed his game over the KHL. He is looking to bring another offensive bite to this Canadiens roster as they push for the playoffs. There is a belief he can play with Alex Newhook and Patrik Laine, as Kirby Dach was once lost again for the season.
Though Demidov is en route to Montreal, he is expected to play against the Chicago Blackhawks next week.
However, Montreal's exciting season just got better with the addition of Ivan Demidov. Hopefully, by the time he plays, the Canadiens will have secured their playoff spot.
Expect big things from the Montreal Canadiens as they are only on the upswing.
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