Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports
When the Montreal Canadiens walked up on stage in Las Vegas at the 2024 NHL draft, the biggest name on the board was Russian winger Ivan Demidov. An uber-talented, highly skilled playmaker who has the flash and flair of the most exciting players in the world while bringing the drive and motor that makes good players great. The decision was easy for the Canadiens, selecting Demidov who instantly became the most intriguing prospect that they’ve had in at least a decade.
When interviewed in his post-selection scrum in Vegas, the charismatic young forward was saying all of the right things. He spoke about bringing the same “Mamba Mentality” to Montreal that NBA legend Kobe Bryant once brought to Los Angeles. He said that he’s ready to be the game-breaking talent that Montreal has been missing. He made jokes that he was already learning French, parroting “Bonjour” with a laugh.
Most importantly, Demidov said that after the 2024-25 season where he is contracted to play with St. Petersburg in the KHL, that he will be coming to North America to join the Montreal Canadiens.
Habs fans were ecstatic with the addition to their prospect pool. They knew that the year wait would be well worth the reward because the allure of Demidov’s talent was nearly unknown to the fanbase. Fans were prepared to post every point on X and put together highlight mixtapes for TikTok and Instagram. There would be no moment of intrigue that would go undocumented thanks to the incredibly passionate fans of Le Habitants.
Demidov showed out in KHL pre-season action, posting great results and looking like a dangerous offensive player for St. Petersburg. His agility, skill, and playmaking were legitimate difference-making factors for the KHL club. Worries about Demidov’s playing time in his final KHL season looked to be a bit misguided as his talent was winning out and earning him regular reps and good offensive opportunities.
Through his first nine games in the KHL, Demidov was averaging just over 13 minutes of action every night. He played at least 10 minutes on the low end and reached 16 minutes on one occasion. Demidov recorded seven points in those first nine games, highlighted by a four-point night in the game which saw him given the most ice time. Demidov certainly looked to be earning his roster spot and a regular shift throughout the season’s first month. His impressive play earned him KHL Rookie of the Month.
As the calendar flipped to October, St. Petersburg coach Roman Rotenberg decided that he needed to apply some pressure to Demidov and challenge the young budding star to be better. His ice time has been greatly reduced throughout October, averaging just over 6:30 per game, reaching the 10-minute mark just once in the eight-game stretch. Demidov saw less than 4:30 in three games with a low of 3:17 against Dinamo on Oct. 10.
This drastic drop-off in playing time has had Canadiens fans worried. They’ve questioned why their future star was being reined in and stripped of his opportunity to develop his game. So why exactly has Demidov’s role with St. Petersburg seemingly disappeared overnight?
From a development perspective, the reality of the situation is that the KHL isn’t in the business of developing players for the NHL. As much as fans of the Canadiens want their player to be given all of the opportunity, it was never going to be easy for Demidov to get top-end deployment.
It’s not a new thing either. Philadephia Flyers fans dealt with this with Matvei Michkov before his loan from St. Petersburg to Sochi last season. Canucks fans dealt with concerns when Vasili Podkolzin was with St. Petersburg a few years ago.
Demidov’s ice-time concerns are heightened by the size of the Montreal market. The coverage of the team in both French and English only increases the chance that fans will get riled up and angry because they want what’s best for their prized prospect.
In an interview with Marco D’Amico of RG.org, Rotenberg explained that he isn’t looking to stunt Demidov’s development. It’s more about putting pressure on the young offensive talent and ensuring that he knows that every day is a competition for playing time in St. Petersburg.
“There is huge competition for a spot in our lineup. To beat out these veterans for ice time, you have to push hard during practice. You can’t just rely on your talent to be successful,” Rotenberg said. “Instead, you have to display full commitment and maximum concentration. I don’t think that a player can solely rely on his talent to be included in the lineup of an NHL team. You need to be stronger than other players at that particular moment in time.”
Pushing Demidov to compete for his playing time isn’t necessarily a bad thing. It keeps a fire lit under him and if Rotenberg follows through with his promise to give him more as he earns it, Demidov should be able to stay motivated. Rotenberg seemed to give him that extra run recently after noting that he’s been working in practice to earn it.
“Even in our previous game against Avtomobilist, we trusted Ivan in the dire moments when we were trailing and needed a goal to get back in the game,” explained Rotenberg. “Our main priority is to win games, and we’re doing everything possible to ensure that our players are focused on contributing to our team’s success. Demidov is no exception here.”
The focus for St. Petersburg is to keep Demidov in the KHL which also happens to be the best-case scenario for Montreal. While Demidov is still eligible to go down to the MHL, the Russian junior circuit, his play there last year proved that he has nothing left to prove at the junior level. The VHL, the Russian second level, is an option, but Rotenberg seemed to be fairly certain that it wouldn’t be in the plan. All parties involved seem set on keeping Demidov in the KHL.
While there have been rumors that Demidov’s ice-time reduction was due to him turning down a contract extension with his Russian club, it doesn’t really matter if that’s true. Demidov is too high-end of a talent to completely hold out of the lineup and St. Petersburg and Rotenberg seem to have a good relationship with Montreal’s front office, noting that they are in communication to ensure Demidov is given the best development possible while maintaining the team’s high standards.
The most important thing is whether the development in Demidov’s game is being truly affected by the deployment that he’s received thus far in the KHL. To this point, there doesn’t seem to be any indication that it has from a statistical standpoint or from viewing the game tape. Demidov still brings many of the positive traits that enticed Montreal, and the areas of weakness in his game have shown growth and improvement.
Demidov’s creativity has always been the hallmark of his game. His ability to process the passing lanes as they develop allows him to make some of the most impressive passes of any player his age. Demidov is a high skilled puck handler as well and we’ve seen flashes of that throughout this season, using his electric hands to evade pressure and change angles on passing or shooting lanes. His pace and effort are both factors that have allowed him to continue improving in these areas among others.
There is a uniqueness to his skating that has caused some to question whether he is going to have to adapt at the next level, particularly with his consistent use of the 10-2 skating style and some of his attempts at simply slipping by players along the boards because of his quickness. He uses plenty of head fakes and running-back-style one-step jukes that are done to draw a defender into making a move in one direction before a cutback. These things work when used at the right time and there are still moments in which Demidov needs to recognize that it isn’t the time for it at the KHL level but there has been some growth in that regard.
Thankfully for the Habs and St. Petersburg, Demidov’s drive and effort level aren’t a concern. His defensive game is a major area of growth, showing improvement last season and continuing to become a more well-rounded 200-foot player this year. He’s continued to bring a more physical edge, even if it just comes in the form of leveraging his strength and positioning on the boards or on the forecheck. Demidov is always working to win puck races, secure the puck in a battle along the boards or hunt down the puck when his team doesn’t have it.
Demidov, like many of the game’s best and most creative playmakers, is going to make some mistakes. He’ll miss on targets when making a pass that few other players could even conceptualize. Whether it’s Mitch Marner or Connor McDavid, the NHL’s best passers all make mistakes. Demidov has the same difference-making creativity and skill that players like that have which makes the difference in how they stay effective despite the odd errant pass or turnover. His ability to limit those mistakes has improved over time and likely will continue to improve as he adapts more to pro hockey.
So now we are back to the question of whether Demidov’s development has been detrimentally affected by his deployment dip in recent games and whether Canadiens fans should be worried. Unless Demidov starts sitting out of games or isn’t being deployed at all and the message from St. Petersburg changes, there is little reason to worry. The young Russian will be in Bleu, Blanc et Rouge in the fall, playing in Montreal where they will have full control over how he develops.
In the end, a year of challenges and adversity may ultimately be good for Demidov. He’s a driven young man who knows what he wants from his NHL career. He knows that to become a difference-maker and game-breaker, he will need to push through anything in his way. One season in which he is tasked with proving himself over and beyond worthy of ice time isn’t going to impact his development in a truly detrimental way.
Breathe, Canadiens fans. The charismatic Russian who wants to channel his inner Kobe in the mecca of hockey playing for the most passionate fanbase in the world is coming. A bump in the road isn’t going to impede him from achieving his goal of helping Montreal get back to their championship-winning ways.
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