Ivan Demidov, the Habs’ top scorer, will be left out tomorrow because he « must practice »

The SKA of Saint-Petersburg will be in action tomorrow against Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg.

And Ivan Demidov will not play.

Not because he is injured, sick or whatever we might think… But because he will be left out by his coach. 

Roman Rotenberg made this decision because the opposing team has big players.

The SKA coach claims that Demidov may not be ready to face a physical team like that… and that’s why he said in an interview that he wants to see his young player spend time in the gym to improve his strength.

Great. #Not

SKA coach Roman Rotenberg on benching his team’s leading scorer Ivan Demidov vs Avtomobilist tomorrow.

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— /r/Habs (@HabsOnReddit) March 19, 2025

Did Demidov refuse to extend his contract with SKA and is that why the organization is punishing him?

Of course, maybe that’s the case… because leaving the team’s leading scorer on the bench – even if SKA is facing a physical team – is really illogical.

It doesn’t make sense, at least.

It’s like Martin St-Louis deciding to remove Suzuki or Caufield from the lineup for a game against the Bruins because he thinks they’re not strong enough to perform well against a robust team…

Well, that wouldn’t fly in Montreal! 

Lucky for SKA, the season will end soon because at some point, this becomes ridiculous.

Demidov is on a cold streak: he has not collected any points in his last four games and it has been seven weeks (January 28) since he last scored… but still.

No coach in the NHL would make the decision to bench a talented player like him, and this adds more emphasis on the fact that in Russia, young players are not treated properly.

Extension

With 49 points (19 goals) in 64 games, Demidov is not only leading his team in scoring and third in goals for SKA, but he’s also the 22nd top scorer in the KHL this season.

I wonder if we’ll see him in the playoffs… And if not, I really think we’ll be in trouble with the habs management.