Double cancellation: Ivan Demidov’s back injury flares up again

Ivan Demidov has been making headlines since the start of training camp. He blocked a shot in Trois-Rivières during the Kraft Hockeyville game, and since then, he clearly hasn't been at 100%. He's missed several practices, including yesterday morning's session in Brossard, and he doesn't have as much pop in his legs on the ice.

Last night, I mentioned that Demidov had postponed two private autograph sessions he was scheduled to hold on Friday in Toronto and Sunday in Mascouche. Yes, Demidov was indeed supposed to take a private flight to Toronto on Friday to participate in one of those two sessions.

Ivan Demidov had private autograph sessions scheduled for Friday in Toronto (AJ Sports) and Sunday in Mascouche (Memorable Authentic).

He has just canceled his appearance at both events.

There's a lot of money involved in these two events.

I have a FEELING that his injury is “serious” enough to cause him to miss at least a few games.

Let's hope, though, that I'm wrong.

— Maxime Truman (@MaximeTruman) October 5, 2026

Why did he cancel those two events? Logically, he must be too injured to participate.

Optimists will say that the Canadiens simply convinced Demidov to focus on his recovery and rest at home, while the more pessimistic suggest that Demidov might undergo surgery in the coming hours. We can all agree that you don't attend autograph sessions if you've just had surgery…

Tony Marinaro actually admitted last night that he's worried Demidov might have to undergo foot surgery, much like Brian Gionta and Shea Weber did after playing a few games with a broken foot.

It's important to note that Demidov has participated in nearly 10 such sessions with Memorable Authentic and has always been extremely pleasant during them. Everything has always been straightforward, courteous, and professional with the Canadiens forward.

However, to postpone two sessions indefinitely—when many fans pay thousands of dollars to participate—suggests that something significant must have happened, doesn't it? Especially since Demidov, who is still on his entry-level contract this season, enjoys pocketing the extra thousands of dollars these sessions bring him.

I was told something new early this morning: Ivan Demidov was supposed to play in a charity hockey game on August 29 in Montreal called “Stick With Us.” However, he canceled his appearance, without the spectators really knowing why.

The reason for his cancellation? A back injury. That's what I was told by a reliable source this morning. Do I need to remind you that a back injury can sometimes be tricky to heal and can take a long time to recover from?

We can view this cancellation, as well as those from this weekend
, in three ways:

1.
Ivan Demidov has been dealing with a back injury for several weeks—an injury that's preventing him from performing at 100% on the ice. To avoid footage of Demidov “struggling”
in Mascouche or Toronto, the Canadiens convinced him to postpone his commitments.

2. Ivan Demidov has recovered from his back injury, but he has a serious foot injury—serious enough to require surgery and a period of rehab, rather than attending autograph sessions.

3. Ivan Demidov no longer has a back injury, and his foot isn't seriously injured; he's simply the type of person who won't show up at an event he's supposed to attend unless he's 100%. Call it being cautious or listening to his body. He doesn't want to take any chances.

I'm afraid the truth lies somewhere between 1 and 2, but I hope it's actually the third explanation.