Kent Hughes and the Habs to visit Ivan Demidov in Russia soon

In recent weeks, Ivan Demidov has been the talk of the town for not so good reasons. The youngster isn’t getting much ice time in Russia any more, and that’s allegedly because he’s turned down contract extension offers from SKA.

Not ideal for his development, of course.

We know all this isn’t good news for the Habs. Jeff Gorton admitted it this week: the team is frustrated by the situation, and would like to see it change.

But tonight, Elliotte Friedman revealed an interesting fact: the Canadiens, including Kent Hughes, are currently planning a visit to see the youngster in Russia.

The club had already planned to visit him this season, but now we learn that it’s going to happen soon.

Elliotte Friedman on the Habs brass planning to visit Ivan Demidov in Russia soon:

“The moment the MTL Canadiens drafted him, they made plans that at some point in time they would eventually go in the season to watch him, visit him, check & see how he’s doing. They are… pic.twitter.com/2zI6Qs9geh

– /r/Habs (@HabsOnReddit) October 20, 2024

Friedman says this should happen in the next few weeks or months. Has the current situation surrounding the kid’s playing time caused management to try to move up their visit? Possibly.

The informant explains that they want to visit him to observe him on the ice, but also to check up on the youngster. One wonders if they want to talk to him directly about his situation (and avoid interference from an intermediary, for example).

And obviously, seeing Kent Hughes involved in all this shows just how seriously the club takes the situation. Sending a scout or a development manager is one thing, but sending the GM shows that the club is keeping a close eye on the situation.

Hughes and the Habs should be in Russia soon to see Demidov.

Extension

Maybe with a little luck, the Habs will be able to turn Demidov into a modern-day Stastny and get him on the return flight, hehe.