Canadiens Prospect Facing More Obstacles on NHL Journey

The KHL continues to make a possible transition to the NHL hard on the Montreal Canadiens top prospect.

Jun 28, 2024; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Ivan Demidov is selected with the 5th overall pick of the first round of the 2024 NHL Draft at The Sphere. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images / Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images

The Montreal Canadiens are one of the hottest teams in the NHL since the league returned from the 4 Nations Face-Off break as they fight for a spot in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Riding an 8-1-2 hot streak, the Canadiens sit in the Eastern Conference’s second wild card spot.

Earlier in the season, there was some hope that the Canadiens might be able to get top prospect Ivan Demidov out of Russia to join in a possible playoff run. Those chances have always seemed slim for this season, but the door may have just completely shut in Montreal.

According to a source with RG, Demidov’s KHL team, SKA St. Petersburg, will not allow an early termination of his contract, even if the team doesn’t last long in the playoffs. Even is SKA is knocked out early, Demidov’s contract runs through the month of May and they retain his rights until then.

“If SKA is eliminated early from the playoffs, Demidov will continue playing in the MHL to help the club compete for the Kharlamov Cup, a trophy he won in 2024 with SKA-1946,” a source told RG.  “The organization prioritizes winning titles at every level, not just the Gagarin Cup.”

The 19-year-old is leading SKA in scoring with 19 goals and 30 assists for 49 total points, a historic pace for a youngster in the KHL. No other player younger than 20 in KHL history has scored more points.

Despite the historic season, SKA has routinely given Demidov the short end of the stick and likely got in the way of even more growth as a player. Even with the KHL playoffs approaching, SKA is benching Demidov.

SKA head coach Roman Rotenberg stated that Demidov would sit out against Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg. This benching forced more speculation that the team is punishing Demidov for having no interest in signing a new contract after it’s May 31st expiration.

Demidov has been looking forward to his move to Montreal, even taking the time to learn French, but SKA isn’t making things easy.

The Canadiens have been keeping a close eye on their asset and are hopeful to see Demidov make a quick transition to North America. It doesn’t seem like that’ll be during the 2024-25 campaign, but Demidov looks like he’ll have immediate impact whenever he arrives.

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