Demidov thinks the Habs would have been crazy not to draft him at #5

The draft is an unpredictable science, and nothing is guaranteed for every selection, even the very first pick.

The higher the pick, the greater the player’s chances of establishing himself in the NHL, but there have been several top-5 flopsin history.

The last draft was a good one for the Montreal Canadiens, who picked twice in the first round.

Demidov immediately became the organization’s most attractive prospect, with all his qualities.

Really, he ticked all the boxes the Habs could look for in the 5ᵉ spot.

Some pundits saw Demidov falling all the way to the Habs’ pick, but many didn’t see him breaking out of the top-3.

On this Thursday night, the Montreal Canadiens released a behind-the-scenes video of the latest draft.

Watch the LIVE premiere of the Canadiens’ NHL Draft 2024 documentary here or on YouTube!

https://t.co/yPGVMXASb6

Watch the LIVE premiere of the Canadiens’ 2024 NHL Draft Documentary, right here or on YouTube!#GoHabsGo https://t.co/n8CKVx5dc2

– Canadiens Montréal (@CanadiensMTL) August 22, 2024

We learned a lot about the players.

Michael Hage was unequivocally the intended target at No. 21ᵉ, if Nick Bobrov, the Habs’ head scout, is anything to go by.

Demidov’s confidence in his own talent was also evident.

In a pre-draft interview, the Russian was asked by Jeff Gorton if the Habs would be crazy to pass over him if he were available at the 5ᵉ spot.

He answered without hesitation, “Yes,” with a smile.

What’s interesting is that Demidov has already faced Juraj Slafkovsky at the Hlinka-Gretzky tournament.

The Russian winger had only one comment on the Slovak, and that was that the latter lost to him.

And let’s just say he was very proud of his shot.

In the behind-the-scenes video of the draft, we see Kent Hughes talking about Lane Hutson.

Demidov mentions that he’s seen his highlights and really likes his style of play.

Kent Hughes took the opportunity to say that he and Hutson could play at the blue line together on the power play, and the Russian’s eyes lit up at that.

I can’t wait to see Demidov on the power play with Hutson, because we all know that’s going to happen in the near future.

I invite you to listen to the entire video, it’s really worth it. Not only do you get a better understanding of the organization’s vision for certain prospects, but you also get to know more about the person behind the player.

One thing’s for sure: Demidov has what it takes to succeed on the Bettman circuit.

Let’s see how his game transfers from the KHL to the NHL.