Marc Dumont
The Montreal Canadiens were quite lucky that skilled forward Ivan Demidov fell to them in the 2024 NHL Entry Draft. While there’s no doubt the San Jose Sharks would pick Macklin Celebrini first overall should a re-draft take place, the odds Demidov would drop to fifth would be little to none.
There was a certain-perceived risk involved, as Demidov is Russian, and there was a false narrative circulating that Russian prospects would not report to the NHL, but history tells us that there’s essentially no risk involved in drafting a player from the KHL. They may take a little longer to make their way to the NHL, but they always eventually report.
NCAA prospects, on the other hand, do force the hand of teams that draft them fairly often, but that’s a topic for another day.
All that matters is that Demidov was available once the Canadiens took to the podium, ensuring the prospect pipeline would continue to feed the NHL roster with high-level talent.
Welcome To The NHL
Demidov’s rookie season in the NHL was nothing short of excellent.
He was immediately thrust into a top-six role, a sign that head coach Martin St-Louis continues to offer highly talented rookies with ample opportunities to prove their worth. To add to this confidence-boosting usage, St-Louis mostly used Demidov alongside another rookie, Oliver Kapanen.
The duo produced at a very encouraging rate, with Demidov finishing the season as the highest scoring rookie in the league, to the tune of 19 goals and 43 assists in 82 games. Kapanen ended the year tied with Beckett Sennecke (Anaheim Ducks) for the most goals among NHL rookies, with 23.
Due to his production as a first-year player, Demidov finished second overall in voting for the Calder Trophy, and earned a spot among the NHL’s All-Rookie Team.
Demidov Usage, Underlying Numbers (5v5)
The second line was a pleasant surprise from a production standpoint, given the lack of experience among the players used in that role.
They provided enough offence to float the first line whenever it had a rare night off, forcing opposing teams to pay attention to more than just Nick Suzuki and Company.
However, we must also acknowledge that Demidov’s underlying numbers left a lot to be desired. It’s fairly common for an offensively inclined rookie to struggle from a defensive standpoint in the NHL, especially in top six, and Kapanen’s defensive acumen is also quite underwhelming, leading to a boom or bust situation.
Whenever Demidov and Kapanen were on the ice, something exciting usually happened, but it wasn’t always in the offensive zone.
In fact, for the most part, Demidov’s underlying numbers were poor regardless of who he played with, but we must note that there was not much diversity in his usage.
Another way of explaining it would be to suggest he was given a surprising amount of consistency.
Regardless, when Demidov played away from Kapanen, his shot share improved considerably, something worth keeping in mind as we start to evaluate the potential lines heading into the 2026-27.
He did have great numbers alongside Suzuki, but they played fewer than 60 minutes together at 5v5, and everyone tends to play excellent hockey when they’re on a line with the Canadiens captain.
That being said, given that St-Louis has not hesitated to use Juraj Slafkovsky on a different line in the past, in a bid to spread the talent throughout the lineup, he may want to try Demidov in that role should he repeat the experiment.
Slafkovsky produces excellent underlying numbers with Suzuki and Cole Caufield, but there may be value in finding out just how high the ceiling would be with Demidov in his place.
Powerplay Impact
Demidov finished fourth on the Canadiens in powerplay production (P/60), behind all three forwards who played together on the first line this season. And yet, I’d argue he’s the main reason the Canadiens enjoyed significant uptick in powerplay efficiency, due to his fantastic passing and elite creativity.
Sure, there were instances in which the Canadiens overpassed, and there were times when Demidov drew some ire from fans due to his hesitancy to shoot, but the fact remains that Montreal’s powerplay went from 21st overall in 2024-25, to 10th once Demidov was in the mix.
As soon as Demidov is a little more comfortable in the NHL, he’ll surely start to take more shots, similar to the evolution we saw in Slafkovsky’s shot rate. Meanwhile, he’ll help Hutson open passing lanes, seeding chaos in the offensive zone with slick passes and smart dekes.
Demidov Player Grade
The Canadiens still need to find Demidov’s ideal linemates, and until they figure out the perfect combination, the underlying numbers will likely continue to suffer.
But rookies who are immediately capable of jumping into the top six, while outscoring every other first-year player in the league, are few and far between. The Canadiens have a stud on their hands in Demidov, a player who will likely command quite a raise once the extension conversation becomes serious.
And while he clearly enjoyed a fantastic rookie season, there’s still room for improvement, both defensively, and from a usage standpoint.
In other words, despite his encouraging year, the best is yet to come for talented Montreal Canadiens forward Ivan Demidov.
Ivan Demidov Grade: A- (80-84%)
Montreal Canadiens and Ivan Demidov statistics via Natural Stat Trick.
Previously published Canadiens player grades:
- Nick Suzuki
- Alexandre Texier
- Zachary Bolduc
- Alex Newhook
- Cole Caufield
- Kirby Dach
- Mike Matheson
- Juraj Slafkovsky
- Noah Dobson
- Lane Hutson
