Hockey

Calder: Matthew Schaefer makes life difficult for Ivan Demidov
Charles-Alexis Brisebois
Calder: Matthew Schaefer makes life difficult for Ivan Demidov
Credit: Getty Images

I know, I know: the season is still very young. But at the time of writing, Ivan Demidov isn't exactly guaranteed to win the Calder. Is he the favourite? I think he must be on paper, but the league is getting younger and younger, and there are more and more rookies who can make their mark. And of the lot, there's a certain Matthew Schaefer on Long Island:

Why? Because he's good. The first pick in the last NHL Entry Draft is practically replacing Noah Dobson's contribution to the Islanders. Even though he's only 18 and missed a lot of games in the OHL last year. #17GamesPlayedIn six games, the young man already has seven points, including two goals. But above all, he's capable of eating up good minutes on the ice, and Patrick Roy has faith in him. Things are going really well for him, as Marco D'Amico wrote on RG média this morning. It's going so well that his name is circulating for the Olympics with Canada. #Wow

Of course, that's not to say that Ivan Demidov (who's older, a forward and a point down on one more game) doesn't have a chance. After all, he's just getting off the ground.

Of course, to win the Calder (and more importantly, to have an impact on the CH's season), he'll have to get more chances to play.

Martin St-Louis, who knows the tools in the Russian's trunk, no doubt does. content-ads]

But at the same time, last year, St-Louis was able to manage Lane Hutson's playing time – particularly on the first powerplay wave – to maximize the development of its young jewel.

And it worked: Hutson was excellent and he won the Calder

Clearly, the coach has a plan in mind to manage his young forward, and we know there's a good chance we'll see Demidov do like Hutson in 2024-2025.

It's not as if it's the same situation as with Roman Rotenberg either… who still made Demidov the Rookie of the Year in Russia last year.If he wants to keep the Calder in Montreal, Demidov will also have to know how to get points on the road.

Yes, it's a small sample, and yes, he had an assist yesterday, but this season, the young man has one point per game at home (including a goal) and half a point per game on the road.Remember that last year, he had four points in four games (including playoffs) at the Bell Centre, but no points in the three playoff games in Washington.There's no doubt he can explode. Overtime]- Alexander Zharovsky at center today?

– Good listening.

– The NBA is in crisis, this morning. Gambling rages on.

– What do you think?

– Must read.

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