Slafkovsky can’t wait to play with Demidov

Juraj Slafkovsky, Cole Caufield and Nick Suzuki have all signed eight-year contracts in recent years. The club’s top three forwards in 2023-2024 are here to stay.

Obviously, they’ll need to be better supported in Montreal than in the past if the club is to win.

In the short term, the goal is for Joshua Roy and Alex Newhook, for example, to be able to take on more. But above all, it’s that Kirby Dach can pick up where he left off when he was injured.

And in the medium term, the goal will be to add guys who have never played in Montreal to make the attack even more dangerous.

Obviously, Ivan Demidov’s name quickly springs to mind. The young man has a special talent that could make him the Habs’ most creative forward in the medium to long term. If he can improve his explosion on skates, he’ll be something.

NHL prospects writer Sam McGilligan on Ivan Demidov.

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– /r/Habs (@HabsOnReddit) August 1, 2024

And this I know, but so does Juraj Slafkovsky.

The Habs forward is obviously very focused on the importance of winning (it shows on the ice) and he obviously wants to make sure his club takes the means to win.

Sergey Demidov of Responsible Gambling chatted with the Habs prospect. And he told us that Juraj Slafkovsky contacted him after being drafted in June.

Slaf asked the prospect about his health and congratulated him on being drafted. But more than that, he told him this:

I can’t wait for you to play with us. – Juraj Slafkovsky to Ivan Demidov

Demidov will undoubtedly fit in with the mentality the Habs are looking for. The club didn’t draft Shane Wright and Matvei Michkov, and we can assume that their character is part of the reason why.

On the other hand, guys like Slaf, David Reinbacher and Demidov seem to have their heads in the right place. A former Russian scout was quick to praise Demidov’s personality, saying he’s a leader in the hockey room.

A longtime NHL Russian scout on Ivan Demidov back in May.

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– /r/Habs (@HabsOnReddit) August 1, 2024

Even if the Habs’ dressing room is still young, you’d think that Demidov, the day he lands in town, will learn from guys like Slaf about how to be a good teammate.

And that’s just as well.