Jeff Gorton went to meet Ivan Demidov in October.

In October, Elliotte Friedman informed us that the Canadiens planned a trip to Russia to see Ivan Demidov.

We weren’t sure when it would take place (there was talk of a few weeks or a few months after discussing it), but the Sportsnet informant mentioned a meeting that would involve Kent Hughes.

This was as of October 19.

Elliotte Friedman on the Habs brass planning to visit Ivan Demidov in Russia soon:

“The moment the MTL Canadiens drafted him, they made plans that at some point in time they would eventually go in the season to watch him, visit him, check & see how he’s doing. They are… pic.twitter.com/2zI6Qs9geh

— /r/Habs (@HabsOnReddit) October 20, 2024

And here comes the Responsible Gambler site, which has its entrances in Russia, publishing an article on the subject. Daria Tuboltseva had an interview with Demidov, and he confirmed that such a meeting took place.

This was at the end of October, right when he was on fire with SKA.

At the end of October, representatives from the Canadiens came to Saint Petersburg. We met and discussed my game. – Ivan Demidov

#GoHabsGo top prospect Ivan Demidov continues to grow in the KHL, while maintaining contact with the Habs, who came to visit him at the end of October.

More on the growing relationship between Demidov and Montreal and what’s next (via @DariaTuboltseva):https://t.co/ZxH2F6K1n3

— RG (@TheRGMedia) December 12, 2024

What Demidov said is that Jeff Gorton and Nick Bobrov were present. It’s not exactly surprising to see that the club’s head of hockey operations and one of the most connected men in Russia made the trip.

But Demidov did not mention Hughes. Did Friedman get it wrong? Did the Habs’ plan change? Will the GM of the Habs also take a different trip to meet Demidov later? Did Demidov simply forget to mention the GM?

These are currently, logically, the various scenarios on the table.

Feeling desired/respected by the Habs must help him. After all, it’s not always easy for him in Russia, but he must surely think that coming to play in Montreal in 2025 will represent the light at the end of the tunnel. There, he will have plenty of playing time.

In Brief

– Oh really?

When your agent publicly admits that the pressure from big markets can affect you… https://t.co/b73vHV4oDO

— Passion MLB (@passion_mlb) December 12, 2024

– Tough defeat (3-1) for Rocket yesterday.

“I could have benched a lot of guys tonight” – Pascal Vincent on his team’s collective performance

— Anthony Marcotte (@anthonymarcotte) December 12, 2024

– Michel Bergeron honored. [TVAS]

– Oh no?

Matias Coccaro is still a member of #CFMTL. For now at least… https://t.co/TgrBUMeUXQ

— Maxime Truman (@MaximeTruman) December 12, 2024