Habs Prospects
Ivan Demidov Shows Frustration In Pre-Game Interview
There’s no doubt about it, top Montreal Canadiens prospect Ivan Demidov is dealing with a frustrating situation in the KHL.
Even if he’s SKA Saint Petersburg’s leading scorer, the talented 19-year-old forward has been treated as a tweener by his head coach, Roman Rotenberg. It’s not entirely surprising, as Rotenberg has shown clear signs of inexperience and insecurity since he was given the coaching position despite his lack of professional hockey experience.
It’s not an ideal situation for any player, but at the very least, the fact that Demidov is dealing with unreasonable adversity now will help him if legitimate adversity comes into play once he makes his way to Montreal.
ON TOPIC: The Silver Lining To Ivan Demidov And His Ridiculous KHL Usage
Ivan Demidov Says A Lot By Not Saying Much
The maturity displayed by Demidov has been noteworthy, and is part of the reason why the Canadiens drafted him in the first place. But even if his maturity goes beyond his years, it’s quite clear the frustrating situation is starting to weigh heavily on his mind.
A pre-game interview with Demidov on Thursday was quite telling. The young man was not willing to throw his coach under the bus, however, he’s also not going to sugar-coat the unreasonable decisions made by Rotenberg by pretending he’s happy with his usage.
This interview of Ivan Demidov before his first game in the KHL playoffs is simply masterpieces pic.twitter.com/XSqnK0XzPS
— Uggg (@Uggg_uggg) March 28, 2025
Before we discuss the interview, I’d like to thank Twitter user @Uggg_uggg for clipping the video. We should also note that the translation does seem to be accurate according to some of my colleagues who speak Russian. Their knowledge goes well beyond my own, which is limited to “Da, Da Kanada, Nyet, Nyet Soviet”, the famous chant heard during Game 8 of the 1972 Summit Series between the Soviet Union and Canada. With that in mind, you can clearly heart Demidov say “Nyet” in the first answer, lining up perfectly with the provided translation.
This is probably the first time Demidov has shown some semblance of frustration this season, despite being given many opportunities to do so by his unqualified head coach. It’s far from an outburst, but it does confirm that even Demidov’s patience has a limit.
His time in the KHL is coming to an end, and though he was never expected to join the Canadiens at any point this season, we can safely assume he’s excited for what the future may hold.
Demidov is expected to play a franchise-defining role for the Canadiens, which should lead to a much more consistent approach from a usage standpoint.
Canadiens head coach Martin St-Louis has not hesitated to trust his rookie defenceman Lane Hutson, and though Demidov is a little younger, St-Louis is quite aware of his offensive potential, which connotes he may take the same confidence-boosting approach once Demidov arrives in Montreal.
The main thing to recognize about Demidov is that he should not be given line mates named Newhook/Armia/Gallagher/Anderson/Heinemen/Dvorak/Pezzetta/ Laine.
Find us a centerman to play between Demidov and Roy. If we prefer playing him at center then find us a left winger to compliment them.
Crosby would be perfect. 🙏 For Newhook, Dach and the lower first round pick. 😮
I really don’t see Roy as bona fide NHL – doesn’t have the motor and he’s slow. He’s nowhere near an Owen Beck – would trade Roy in a heartbeat- he not very good at all. No hard work not a lot of interest in defending. AHLer.
Lol roy have ton of skill and iq.. while beck is a horrible player offensively.. i would trade beck in a heartbeat
Like a true quebekker… Over valuing a player because of his birthplace..
5th rounder for a reason..
Whos the next one.. Recently rhp was the next 40 goal gars de chez nous, now roy… Next?
Until roy shows he can keep up at nhl level he remains a project..
Right now if he becomes a laine, heiny or newhook it would be a success
Yeah, I’m betting right now on bet365: the free agents are gonna be BEGGING to sign there this summer, it’s a sure win I tell you!
I think it’s a very bad look on the KHL for not addressing this. Or is the team owner so powerful that he can’t be touched over there? Teams can do what they want, within reason, with their own prospects, but to hamstring your own team’s success by benching your best player in an effort to make him sign there? To prioritize your junior team’s chances over your KHL, and presumably much larger revenue team? That’s just gross mismanagement. That looks bad on the league as a whole, and no, not really. Nobody will want to sign there after seeing them trash a rare talent like Demidov.