The fact is that all of it occurred fairly darn rapidly this week.
Nobody concerned in Ivan Demidov’s launch from his KHL contract knew for certain it was occurring till Tuesday.
Had been there conversations earlier than then? After all. However neither the Montreal Canadiens nor the participant’s agent had any certainty till Tuesday. Which tells you ways rapidly this got here collectively.
From the second Demidov was drafted by the Canadiens at No. 5 final June, the participant’s agent, Dan Milstein, deliberate to attempt to convey him to the NHL as quickly as his KHL season ended this yr.
However he couldn’t assure it, as a result of there are not any ensures with these delicate and sophisticated conditions in Russia.
All of which is why the Habs weren’t planning on it occurring this season, both. The extra doubtless situation all the time felt like subsequent season.
That didn’t cease the Canadiens from inquiring. My understanding is that Canadiens common supervisor Kent Hughes broached the concept with Demidov’s KHL membership, SKA St. Petersburg, proper earlier than the KHL playoffs, merely asking if it might be an choice to launch him from his contract in the event that they had been eradicated earlier than Montreal’s season ended. Hughes didn’t get a response on the time, however conversations on the matter began Monday, a day after SKA was eradicated, and superior considerably Tuesday.
The primary seeds had been planted by Milstein final June. And he credit SKA for the way they responded.
“Round draft time, SKA requested if he needed to increase, and Ivan stated no,” Milstein informed The Athletic on Wednesday. “Often with different KHL golf equipment, the participant doesn’t play or he’s mainly the scapegoat (when a participant desires to depart to the NHL). However they had been so loyal that all year long, not as soon as did they arrive and supply one other contract. As a result of the child stated, ‘Look, it’s my dream. I need to go play in Montreal. That is one thing I need to work towards.’
“(Roman) Rotenberg, the coach, helped him to develop. I do know Montreal followers didn’t like his ice time and what have you ever initially of the season, however this was all a part of the event. And so they mainly by no means gave us a tough time, by no means twisted his arm, by no means threatened with something. The underside line is, they labored with us mainly your complete yr.”
Rotenberg instructed the identical in an interview with Martin Lemay and former coach Bob Hartley on BPM Sports activities in Montreal.
“We’ve been in nice communication with everybody in Montreal,” Rotenberg informed BPM. “We mentioned the event of Ivan every day. He did an ideal job, Ivan. He developed himself into a powerful playoff participant. He confirmed his finest expertise within the playoff sequence. He was our greatest ahead within the sequence. … I feel he’s an excellent pupil. He listens. He’s doing issues I’m asking him to do.
“He’s so eager to be taught. And he’s doing issues. For instance, his (defensive) recreation, he improved that so much. He’s blocking pictures. He’s profitable battles one-on-one. All these 50-50 conditions, he’s profitable them. … All season we labored actually arduous, and that’s how he grew to become our greatest participant. He was our MVP in our sequence towards Dynamo Moscow, which is a really defensive workforce.”
Milstein felt it was vital to make clear a few of that due to the best way issues had been portrayed all through the season.
“Ivan has nothing detrimental to say about it,” he stated. “They had been greater than loyal, and most significantly, there was by no means a strain to signal via this yr.”
However it might be naive to not suppose the scenario didn’t weigh on Demidov to a point. Hughes felt the necessity to go to Russia in December and meet with SKA and Demidov. A part of that was the Habs eager to proceed to construct a relationship with the participant, letting him know they’re there for him and ensuring he was OK with how the season was going. However a few of it was additionally Hughes getting a greater sense from SKA about Demidov. That journey in all probability helped pave the best way for SKA to be snug releasing him early this week.
And why would SKA resolve to permit Demidov to get out of his contract six weeks earlier than it expired?
I feel the reply is clearly that SKA needed to ship a message to NHL groups that they shouldn’t be involved about drafting their gamers — that they’re prepared to play ball.
Regardless of the case, there have been by no means any ensures of it occurring. Milstein stated all of it got here collectively in a matter of hours Tuesday.
Milstein nonetheless wasn’t precisely certain as of Wednesday morning when Demidov can be arriving in Montreal and when issues would get ironed out with Canadian authorities officers on a piece visa and different vital paperwork, which the Habs are serving to work on.
All issues being equal, it appears most possible that Monday evening’s residence recreation towards the Chicago Blackhawks may very well be Demidov’s debut.
Coincidentally, the Blackhawks made a play for Demidov on the draft in June, providing their 2026 first-round decide, unprotected, to the Columbus Blue Jackets for his or her No. 4 decide in 2025. If the commerce had occurred, Chicago would have taken Demidov with that decide after drafting defenseman Artyom Levshunov second. That will have been fairly the pair of picks for Chicago, and you may’t blame Blackhawks GM Kyle Davidson for attempting to make it occur. However the Blue Jackets resisted the commerce supply, selecting as an alternative to take Cayden Lindstrom at 4.
Clearly, as his agent, Milstein is excessive on his consumer. However he’s recognized Demidov for a very long time and stated Habs followers are going to like him.
“I met Ivan and his household at a Moscow resort when the child was 12 years previous,” Milstein stated. “Often, I don’t signal gamers till they’re like 16 or 17. On this specific case, I needed to rush to Russia as a result of what I had seen was unbelievable.”
(Picture: Bruce Bennett / Getty Pictures)
