Habs Daily: Ivan Demidov KHL Update, Habs Prospect Rankings,

Here are the Montreal Canadiens news items, highlights, and stories you may have missed on Wednesday.

Montreal Canadiens News

We recently discussed the possibility that the Montreal Canadiens would have to reconsider their options if top prospect Ivan Demidov did not manage to earn a roster spot in the KHL with his parent club, SKA Saint Petersburg. It’s worth mentioning we never suggested Demidov was NHL ready, as was widely publicized on Twitter. We simply pointed out Hughes himself said he’d re-evaluate the situation if Demidov was not bound for the KHL. Remember, SKA cannot loan Demidov to another team as they did with Matvei Michkov in the last two seasons. Players must have two or more years left on their contracts if they’re to be loaned to another KHL organization. The good news is that SKA head coach Roman Rotenberg had a conversation with Canadiens management, which seemed to suggest Demidov will indeed have a roster spot in the KHL. [A Closer Look At Ivan Demidov’s Situation In The KHL]

SKA coach Roman Rotenberg says that he just had a recent Zoom meeting with Hughes & Gorton & the Habs brass to discuss Ivan Demidov.

They had a “very positive conversation about how we would develop Ivan in SKA. There was no talk even about him leaving for Canada.”

👇👇👇 pic.twitter.com/fFBf2XVXYP

— /r/Habs (@HabsOnReddit) July 24, 2024

We all know the drill. Mentioning Demidov in the Daily means we’re legally bound to follow it up with one of the many highlight videos featuring the top prospect in the organization.

The 2024 Montreal Canadiens prospect rankings continued on Wednesday, with players ranked No.30 to No.26. The list included players who are known for their physical play, a well as two very interesting goaltenders.  We encourage fans to give their opinions on the rankings, as it leads to very interesting conversations. We will also give fans an opportunity to vote for their very own list once we’re done evaluating all prospects in the organization. [Montreal Canadiens Prospect Rankings – Truculence & Goaltending]

National Hockey Now Network

The Boston Bruins have been one of the NHL’s most active teams this off season, spending a franchise-record $92 million in free agency on nine players to address key needs in the middle of the ice and on the blue line. [Boston Bruins]

Matvei Michkov has one goal for his NHL career with the Philadelphia Flyers, and it remains the same from start to finish: winning. Winning the Stanley Cup, winning preseason games, winning regular season games. Winning, winning, winning. It’s not about Michkov–he doesn’t want this to be about him. It’s about achieving the ultimate prize as one member of a larger group.[Philadelphia Flyers]

Plenty of things will change with the New Jersey Devils over the next 10 years. In fact, most of the players you see today very well may not even be on the team anymore. It will certainly be an exciting ride to see how things develop within the organization and who will blossom into their best players that could potentially represent their countries on a national level. Devils players will get their chance next year and in 2030. In 2034, Devils players in a decade from now may get the chance to do it again in Salt Lake City. [New Jersey Devils]