The season for the Montreal Canadiens came to a disappointing close at the hands of the Carolina Hurricanes, who advanced to the Stanley Cup Final with a five-game series win over the Habs in the Eastern Conference Final.
It almost seemed like the Habs were destined for what would have been their first berth in the Cup Final since their miracle run in the pandemic-shortened 2020-21 season, which ultimately resulted in a five-game series loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning. The Canadiens not only defeated the Lightning on the road in Game 7 during the Eastern Conference Quarterfinal, but also defeated the Buffalo Sabres in overtime of Game 7 in the Eastern Conference Semifinal – also on the road.
Now, the offseason work for Canadiens general manager Kent Hughes is fully underway, and he’s already looking ahead to getting one of the club’s key young pieces locked up to a new contract.
The Montreal Canadiens Want To Re-Sign Ivan Demidov To A Long Term Contract
One of the club’s most exciting young players is forward Ivan Demidov, who will see his three-year, entry-level contract expire at the end of the upcoming 2026-27 NHL season.
According to Canadiens general manager Kent Hughes, the club would prefer to sign him to a long-term extension, and cited that the young Russian forward enjoys being a member of the team and playing in Montreal.
“We know that Ivan likes playing in Montreal,” said Hughes during the team’s end-of-season press conference. “We’ll talk to his agent in a few weeks. It all depends on whether the player prefers short-term or long-term contracts.
“We would prefer to sign him long term.”
During the regular season, Demidov firmly put himself into the conversation for the Calder Trophy as the NHL’s best rookie, appearing in all 82 games and scoring 19 goals with 43 assists for 62 total points. He finished second overall in voting for the Calder Trophy behind only New York Islanders defenseman Matthew Schaefer, who ultimately took home the award.
During the postseason, Demidov scored three goals with six assists in 19 games, and also registered his first career postseason goal in their second round series against the Sabres.
Ivan Demidov Completed His Rookie Year With The Canadiens
Demidov, who was selected in the first round (fifth overall) of the 2024 NHL Draft by the Canadiens, would get his feet wet at the NHL level last season, appearing in two regular season games and scoring once while adding an assist.
He also appeared in five total postseason games against the Washington Capitals, registering a pair of assists.
While Demidov had a slower offensive start to the postseason, it didn’t worry head coach Martin St. Louis.
“There’s way more to his game than being an offensive player if you actually watch his intentions on the ice,” St. Louis said. “Of course when he has his touches in space, he’s dynamic, he’s able to do highlight stuff. But there’s so much more to the game before these actions that are important. For a young player, he has the awareness and intentions of understanding, ‘I’ve got to take care of the team right now. As much as I like these things, I can’t just look for these things, I’ve got to play the game. And if I do that, I’m going to create more of these things.’ To me, that’s what I like about Demi.”
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