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Ivan Demidov: SKA doesn’t want him to “break his arms and legs” in the AHL

 Andrew Taylor
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Ivan Demidov: SKA doesn’t want him to “break his arms and legs” in the AHL
Credit: Getty Images

Ivan Demidov has been the talk of Montreal ever since he was drafted by the Canadiens. We’re keeping an eye on whether the youngster, who will be playing on a big team with the SKA, will be able to get big playing time in the KHL.

He’s been helping his case for a few days, at least, but it’s not in the bag yet.

The good news is that SKA coach Roman Rotenberg is quite reassuring. You can take it or leave it, considering he’s not about to publicly plant the kid… but at least the comments are positive.

And just today, in an interview with Match TV (a Russian media outlet), Rotenberg spoke a little about Demidov, insisting that it’s best for him to spend the year with SKA.

Because he doesn’t want the youngster to go and play on the Habs’ fourth line or in the AHL, where he’d be at risk of “getting his arms and legs broken”.

Rotenberg, who seems to find the AHL a “tough” league both physically and psychologically, believes it’s better for the kid to develop with SKA. He recalls having talked to Habs management about how to foster Demidov’s progression.

His plan for 2024-25 is simple: he wants to make Demidov a leader… but he also wants to make him one of the best players in the world.

And clearly, Rotenberg insists that playing with SKA this year will bring him closer to that second goal. We want to give him a leadership role in the team, and we also want to let him make his own decisions about his future.

Rotenberg notes that the club will be ready to help Demidov go to America “when he’s ready to play on the Habs’ first line”. Until then, though, they want to keep him in town.

Once again, we’ll have to see if Rotenberg’s words will eventually give way to concrete action (i.e., a real, important position on an offensive line with SKA), but at least, for now, these are pretty reassuring words.

We’ll be keeping a close eye on this throughout the year, of course.


Overtime

– Kent Hughes, the best since Serge Savard?

– Jake Neighbours, a name to watch this season.

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