Worrying announcement involving Ivan Demidov, and it would be catastrophic
A worrying option involving the young Montreal Canadiens forward Ivan Demidov has just been revealed.
We know that Demidov is extremely talented, and we know that he is likely to be in the Montreal Canadiens' lineup as early as the 2025-2026 season, but until then, his development is a concern.
There are several options on the table, but few are appealing to Kent Hughes.
Where will Ivan Demidov play next season?
Following today's major announcement in the KHL:
We hadn't thought of it, but a new worrying option has just surfaced for Demidov.
Here are the scenarios currently on the table.
1- Ivan Demidov plays significant minutes in the KHL, which would be ideal.
2- Ivan Demidov plays in the KHL, but on the 3rd or 4th line and gets 8-9 minutes per game (which would be disastrous).
3- Ivan Demidov is sent to the minors in Russia, which would be equally catastrophic.
4- Otherwise, Ivan Demidov is immediately brought into the Montreal Canadiens lineup, which would be too soon for him.
We see here that there aren't many appealing options for the young player. This is precisely a topic that was discussed on BPM Sports:
Clearly, the Canadiens want the young man to have good responsibilities. I remember Alexander Romanov...
We were all eager to see him develop, he had been excellent at the World Junior Hockey Championship, we thought he would have an important role in the KHL... He didn't even play!»
- Anthony Marcotte
Players are often neglected in the KHL because teams know they will leave the following year, so they unfortunately don't care about their development.
Here is the relevant clip:
This will be a major issue to watch in the coming weeks, and a decision that will be important for Demidov's future as well as the future of the Montreal Canadiens.
And you, where do you see him playing next year?
| POLL | ||
What would you do in Kent Hughes' position? | ||
| Bring Demidov to the NHL right now | 295 | 48 % |
| Bring Demidov and send him to Laval | 202 | 32.9 % |
| Leave Demidov there and trust the KHL | 117 | 19.1 % |
| List of polls | ||
