Ivan Demidov Quietly Shuts Down Specific Request from Canadiens Management

That said, it would have been incredible if he could have been the solution for the second-line center role behind Nick Suzuki-especially since some had floated it as a very real possibility.

However, in light of new information shared by the excellent Marco D'Amico, we can immediately forget about that plan.

Even without officially converting him to a center, it's clear the Canadiens would've liked Demidov to take some faceoffs on his strong side, especially since he's a left-handed shot-and the Habs are sorely lacking in left-handed centers.

That's exactly what Zachary Bolduc is currently working on!

But in Demidov's case, the idea of seeing him take faceoffs can be ruled out.

That said, from what I gather, it's not a matter of unwillingness on Demidov's part-it's mostly a lack of confidence, especially when it comes to the faceoff circle.

This will definitely be an interesting situation to follow this fall, but don't be surprised if we see a line featuring Zachary Bolduc, Kirby Dach, and Ivan Demidov, with Bolduc and Dach splitting the faceoff duties.