At the time of publishing, it has been approximately 24 hours since our site talked about Montreal Canadiens Russian prospect Ivan Demidov. This is a weak discussion compared to the frequent promotion of the young shooter that the KHL has dished out.
After a lingering ankle injury – the same one he suffered that ended his MHL playoff run at the end of last season – kept him out of the start of camp, Demidov returned to training more than a week ago. Initially seen photographed on a bicycle, the aspiring phenom fell through the ice a few days ago.
Related: Canadiens: Ivan Demidov back in action
The most recent post, found on Habs Reddit, shows Demidov out of an intrasquad squabble. Fortunately, it’s not for any serious reason.
One of the main concerns expressed by Canadiens fans and hockey analysts is playing time at the start of the KHL regular season. With SKA St Petersburg making the recent acquisition of eleven-year NHL veteran forward Evgeny Kuznetsov, the fear is that Demidov’s ice time will be reduced and impact his year of development in the Russian professional league.
Related: Canadiens: Ivan Demidov Should Spend Time in the AHL, According to Chris Peters
Additionally, SKA coach Roman Rotenberg has acquired a reputation for not signing young talent who will only be with the team for a brief period of time, favoring veterans who can put the team in a position to win. It’s by no means a statement saying that Demidov can’t impact the game offensively – which he definitely can do – but with him projected to travel to North America for the 2025-26 campaign, he falls into the category of a short period in the KHL.
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In the meantime, Habs fans need not worry. The KHL is publishing photo after photo of Demidov and he is sure to find action next season to excite the fanbase with highlight-reel goals.
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