Paying to get Ivan Demidov out of Russia would have been criminal: the Canadiens didn’t take the risk

People are wondering these days how the Canadiens managed to get Ivan Demidov out of Russia so quickly, without waiting until May 31.

After all, it was clear that the members of SKA, his club in Russia, did not want to let him go. At least, that was the rumor that had been circulating for several weeks.

What could have changed, then?

Because money makes the world go round, it’s logical to wonder, even if it’s forbidden to do so, if the Canadiens didn’t use money to “buy” Demidov’s contract.

But what needs to be understood is that it’s not only illegal between the NHL and the KHL, but it’s also a crime.

On this subject, at the beginning of his show of the day (Le Forum) on the waves of BPM Sports, Tony Marinaro discussed the topic with his listeners. He explained that paying SKA to get Demidov out of his contract was not possible.

It’s against the law… and the Habs, for a few games from Demidov, didn’t risk getting caught committing a crime. Paying to get Demidov out would have been dangerous for the Habs.

Roman Rotenberg, as Marinaro explained, is on a blacklist in Canada. On the Canadian government’s website, in the “Special Economic Measures Regulations – Russia” section, we find the name of Roman Rotenberg and his brother Boris.

They are in the “Individuals – serious breach of international peace and security” section of the site with hundreds of other names. Seeing a Canadian club, in times of war, handling a file involving money with the coach of SKA would have been very serious.

It must be understood that Roman Rotenberg’s father is a close friend of Vladimir Putin (they are childhood friends) and that he is a Russian oligarch, i.e., a man who has profited from his connections to get rich at the expense of the state when the USSR was dissolved.

So no, the Habs didn’t take the chance, for a few games from Demidov, to play in those waters.

But despite everything, we have to wonder what SKA got out of all this. If it’s not money, is it possible that the club got something else from the Canadiens in exchange for Demidov’s services?

And without being sure, Marinaro suggests that the photo opportunity during the visit of Kent Hughes, Vincent Lecavalier, and Nick Bobrov to Russia in December may explain why SKA was willing to let Demidov go. After all, SKA played politics with it…

But is that all that made SKA let him go?

Usually, when a veteran of several seasons in the league has such a request (to finish the year in the NHL), he can more easily get what he wants because the KHL clubs consider that he has contributed to hockey in Russia for years.

But that’s not the case with Demidov, who is still young.

In the meantime, we have to stick to the official version. And this version, whether we believe it or not, is that Demidov’s behavior was so exemplary that SKA gave him what he wanted. Nicolas Cloutier (TVA Sports) wrote an article about it, precisely.

“Ivan never argued with SKA management. Many young players would have complained. We took away his playing time, he gritted his teeth and got to work.

“We asked him to throw punches – he would do it. We asked him to play defense – he…

— Nicolas Cloutier (@NCloutierTVA) April 9, 2025

In short, because the young man never complained when his playing time was cut, for example, SKA would have accepted to let him fulfill his wish to go to Montreal.

That would have been one of the aspects that made a difference, but not the only one.

It seems too good to be true to me, but so much the better if that’s the story. The story of the photos during the visit in December seems like an excellent lead.

But in fact, no matter the reason, Demidov is in town, and that’s what matters.