Hockey

Ivan Demidov: The Habs were hoping he would score fewer points the year he was drafted
Marc-Olivier Cook
Ivan Demidov: The Habs were hoping he would score fewer points the year he was drafted
Credit: Getty Images

In a few years (or months?), Ivan Demidov could be the Montreal Canadiens' best player. He has the potential – and the talent – to get there, and we've seen it since his arrival in North America. We know what he's capable of and how dominant he can be on the ice,which iswhy the Habs were lucky, in a way, to have him slip all the way to No. 5 in the 2024 draft. What's important to know is that Kent Hughes and the Canadiens' management had had their eye on him for a long time. In an interview with Jonathan Bernier(Journal de Montréal), Hughes even admits that the Canadiens wanted Demidov to be rather “quiet” in his draft year, so that other teams wouldn't be too interested in him.

Demidov finished the season with 60 points in 30 games in the MHL (Russia's junior league)… but the Habs were still able to select him with the fifth pick in the draft.

In the year leading up to (the draft), the hope was that Ivan would score fewer points or that other teams wouldn't travel to Russia.

–

Kent Hughes

Jonathan Bernier's text was also published on the TVA Sports website:

The Habs love Ivan Demidov, and it's clear that they've had their eye on him for a long time… and that explains why they didn't want him to destroy the junior league in Russia: the Habs knew the player had the talent to become one of the best in the National League.And they wanted to keep that “secret” within the organization, without it getting out to the four corners of the NHL. That said, even though Demidov had a very successful draft season, the Canadiens were still lucky enough to have him available at No. 5 in the 2024 draft. Managers would have been disappointed to see him selected by another team, and that's normal, too. It would have changed things in Montreal. Fan enthusiasm – which is incredible right now – might not be the same for the club… And today, Ivan Demidov's popularity wouldn't be the same in town either. We know how much fans and sponsors (especially in Quebec) love the kid…

'Overtime'

– Absolutely.

– Things aren't going well for Tampa Bay.

–

– Yes.

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