Ivan Demidov would have been the first overall pick if it wasn’t for the war

The 2024 NHL draft took place precisely 9 months and 18 days ago, and already, the order of that auction can be revisited in a definitive way.

Some will tell you that after three appearances by Ivan Demidov against Chicago, it has become evident that no matter what Artyom Levshunov accomplishes as an NHL defenseman, we will probably be wondering for a long time how the Blackhawks decided to ignore the Russian in the second round.

The observation will probably be even more rapid and brutal on the side of the Ducks, who opted for Beckett Sennecke (a long shot) in the third round, and with the Blue Jackets, who selected the injured Cayden Lindstrom (who has not played a game in 2024-2025) in the fourth round.

In light of Demidov’s impact, who unanimously was the best player on his team in his first NHL game, the debate is perhaps already closed, in those cases.

By the way, I have absolutely no problem with these sentences aging poorly. We have all seen the same star born, on Monday night.

Martin Leclerc has admitted to having understood, yesterday, why the Habs’ scouts had told him, in recent months, the following theory:

« If the territory of Russia had been open to scouts as usual and if everyone had equal access to Demidov’s games last season, he would probably have been the first player selected in the draft ».

If he was watching Macklin Celebrini have a fabulous start in the NHL with a somewhat skeptical afterthought, it took one game by #93 at the Bell Centre for him to grasp what the scouts were telling him.

The Habs’ scouts told @MLeclerc_Hockey that in a normal context, Ivan Demidov would have surely been chosen first in the last draft ;

We now understand why pic.twitter.com/pJBxPUkeas

— BPM Sports (@BPMSportsRadio) April 15, 2025

Let’s read between the lines.

1. If the Habs’ scouts believe that Ivan Demidov would have been the first overall pick if everyone had the same information as them… Does that mean that Demidov was the Habs’ true first choice, ahead of Celebrini? Kent Hughes had said that Demidov was first on his list, as he knew Celebrini would be picked first…

2. Is it possible that we are underestimating the extent of the Habs’ competitive advantage when it comes to their ability to scout the young Russian forward properly and completely?

3. The Habs had a clear and net advantage. What do the other teams think about it?

4. Here’s another one. If Ivan Demidov had been drafted by the Columbus Blue Jackets, would he be in the NHL today?

Overtime

Elsewhere in the world… the former Devils defenseman Vyacheslav Fetisov has whined in Russian media, wondering “what we got in return” from the SKA. “I just want to know what the SKA, and our hockey, got in return”, he mentioned, referring to a “higher compensation” for the young local talent.

While Ivan Demidov is causing euphoria in Montreal, a legend is grumbling in Russia.

Vyacheslav Fetisov is wondering what the SKA got in return for letting his gem go. https://t.co/Aj1Aa73Oak

— Nicolas Cloutier (@NCloutierTVA) April 15, 2025

Let’s bet that he’s not the only one whining in Russia… But let’s remember that the Habs didn’t steal a single game from Demidov with the SKA. Does one or two rounds of Demidov in the MHL/VHL deserve to rip his shirt, when the young player was going to leave on May 31?