“The idea of moving Ivan Demidov to the center isn’t off the table”

Félix Forget
“The idea of moving Ivan Demidov to the center isn’t off the table”
Credit: Derek Cain/Getty Images

When we think about the Canadiens' needs this summer, the second-line center position comes up (very) often. The team needs to find a way to support Ivan Demidov, who just had a great rookie year, on the second line.

And there are plenty of names being thrown around: Nico Hischier, Dylan Larkin, and Robert Thomas, among many others.

That said, ever since the Russian was drafted by the Habs, some have wondered if Demidov might eventually end up playing center. We know he feels comfortable there… and Kent Hughes had opened the door to such a scenario a little less than a year ago.

And in his column today for La Presse, Mathias Brunet slipped in an interesting nugget along those lines:

The idea of moving Ivan Demidov [to center] isn't dead, we're told. – Mathias Brunet

According to Brunet, the Habs didn't want to do this during Demidov's first NHL season. It's likely they didn't want to overload him too much and wanted to let him settle into a wing role, where he's spent much of his time in recent years.

In reality, if Demidov is truly capable of holding his own at center, he could be the lifeline the Habs need in the middle of the second line. And internally, they really seem to see a player who has the skills to play center sooner or later.

You get the sense that moving Demidov to center isn't necessarily the organization's Plan A, but if they can't find their second-line center, the fact that Demidov is a lefty would be a good fit in the top six, with Nick Suzuki being a righty.

And if Demidov can fill that role, it would allow the club to be more aggressive in pursuing wingers… like Matthew Knies, for example.


In a nutshell

– Note.

– Hehe.

– If you're looking for something to listen to tonight.

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