Ivan Demidov could join the CH on the road next week

Ivan Demidov hasn't played since October 3 due to an injury.

When will he return?

We got a few more clues on that front after today's practice. Eric Engels posted an update about the Russian player on his X account.

Basically, according to the Sportsnet reporter, Demidov could join the Canadiens on the road next week. But… it's worth noting that the young player won't be with the team for their trip to Chicago.

Demidov will therefore not be there against the Blackhawks tomorrow night. And it would also be surprising to see him in uniform on Sunday in Winnipeg…

Ivan Demidov could always join the Canadiens on the road at some point over the next week, but he is not traveling with them to Chicago.

— Eric Engels (@EricEngels) October 22, 2026

It's hard to say the news is EXTREMELY encouraging, since there's still no official timeline for his return to action.

But we can still say that the young player is making progress in his rehabilitation if we consider that he has a chance of rejoining the team next week on the road. That's the positive aspect of the news.

Remember that the Habs flew to Chicago after this morning's practice.

On Sunday, they'll face the Jets in an away game… and the schedule for the week looks like this:

• Tuesday against the Blues in St. Louis (8 p.m.)
• Thursday vs. the Stars in Dallas (8 p.m.)
• Saturday against the Penguins at the Bell Centre (7 p.m.)

We'll see if Demidov will be able to play in any of those games. That would be ideal… because with Nick Suzuki's injury, the Canadiens are going to need reinforcements—and pretty soon.

More details to come…