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Ivan Demidov is not an option to replace Patrik Laine

 Jennifer Davis
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Ivan Demidov is not an option to replace Patrik Laine
Credit: Getty Images

The knees of Canadiens players are really changing the club’s game. From Carey Price and Kirby Dach to Patrik Laine and David Reinbacher, let’s just say it’s been a scourge for the past few years.

I propose a season 2 of the Crave series, to be called Reconstruction… of the Knees.

Joking aside, everyone’s waiting for the Habs to announce the inevitable: a long-term injury to the off-season’s big acquisition and a top prospect.

And in the meantime, everything is a clue. For example, the fact that the Habs didn’t announce anything yesterday means either that it’s very serious or that the club is hoping to find a way to do things to save time on the rehabilitation process.

It depends on your level of optimism.

On this subject, on Monday night’s Sick Podcast, Tony Marinaro reiterated what he had said earlier yesterday: their absence will be long. We can’t expect to see them again any time soon.

He was told that Reinbacher’s injury is “one notch worse” than Laine’s. He’s talking about 4 to 5 months for the defender and 5 to 6 months for Laine, whose season is in real jeopardy.

The question, then, is how to move forward. The players, who are experiencing another hard blow, will have to fight for a place in the top-6 that has just opened up alongside Kirby Dach and Alex Newhook.

When you analyze this coldly, there are four possibilities.

  • Dismantle the first line to send a winger with Kirby Dach
  • Promote a player currently on the bottom-6
  • Graduating a prospect who is in camp, but who wouldn’t sign up to start the season at the top.
  • Look outside the organization (at the waivers, for example)

Could Juraj Slafkovsky return to Dach? Could Joel Armia, who finished 2023-2024 on a high note, take his turn on the Habs’ second line?

Is Joshua Roy ready for more?

Otherwise, the names of Emil Heineman and Oliver Kapanen must be part of the discussion. The club’s training session at 10:30 this morning will no doubt provide further clues.

And the scenario of going to the outside? Is it realistic?

There’s one scenario I haven’t named because it’s not a real possibility on the table, but I’ll talk about it the same way: getting Ivan Demidov out of Russia and into town.

Bob Hartley was asked this question yesterday on BPM Sports by Martin Lemay. And the host brought up a phrase Hartley is wont to say to prove that, no, Demidov shouldn’t come to town just yet.

The KHL is not the NHL’s club school.

Because Demidov is under contract with SKA and the club wants to win, Demidov isn’t going anywhere just yet. He’s got one year left on his contract and that’s where it’s going to happen, barring a drastic and unexpected change.

By the way, Demidov was named KHL Rookie of the Month in September, which is no mean feat.

Demidov’s playing time doesn’t worry Hartley too much. He even sees it as one more reason for Demidov not to stay in Russia for the long term and to land in Montreal as early as 2025.

To be continued.


Overtime

– The club, the players, the fans: everyone needs the Habs to go out like a lion tonight.

– Incredible.

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