Canadiens Lineup: Welcome to Montreal, Ivan Demidov

In a somewhat surprising turn of events, top Montreal Canadiens prospect Ivan Demidov is reportedly on his way to North America.

Demidov’s contract with SKA runs until May 31, which means Saint-Petersburg agreed to release him a little early, rather than sending him to the minors, which was a possibility.

The decision also connotes the Habs were likely involved in adding a little pressure to the Russian club, seeing as they’re heading toward a surprise appearance in the playoffs, and they could use some reinforcements.

This is legit. Canadiens are now working to get him signed https://t.co/xcVKzBatW0

— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) April 8, 2025

Impact on Montreal Canadiens Roster

Ivan Demidov is a game-breaking presence, but we do have to allow some time so that he can learn the playbook and acclimatize to his new setting.

Once he’s ready to play, the Canadiens will have graduated all three of their top prospects at key positions, a fairly encouraging sign for one of the youngest teams in the NHL. Lane Hutson is already in the process of becoming a superstar, while Jacob Fowler is set to gain important experience in Laval before eventually making his way to Montreal.

So, the Habs added the top defenceman prospect (Hutson), the top forward prospect (Demidov), and one of the top goaltending prospects (Fowler) within one season.

And they’re the youngest team in the league (or close).
And they’re probably going to make the playoffs a year early.

— Marc Dumont (@MarcPDumont) April 8, 2025

Demidov epitomizes high-end talent. His hand-eye coordination, vision, and offensive prowess will be evident from the very get-go. It will also provide the Canadiens with exactly what they need right now: an elite forward.

He can play down the middle of the ice or the wing, which presents the Canadiens with a few interesting options.

They lack a second-line centre, and while that may seem like a big ask from a 19-year-old rookie, you want to place players such as Demidov in a position to succeed, which entails top-six usage.

Alex Newhook currently has second-line centre duties, with Emil Heineman and Patrik Laine serving as wingers. Adding Demidov to the mix while demoting Heineman to the fourth line seems like a logical approach. The combination would never lead to excellent defensive numbers, but it does have the potential to score every shift, which would be a blessing for head coach Martin St-Louis. If Demidov plays on the wing, he prefers to be on the right, therefore Laine may have to shift to the left.

After all, St-Louis has been dealing with limited options since taking over coaching duties, especially in the top six.

With Heineman on the fourth line, Oliver Kapanen and Michael Pezzetta would be pushed to the press box, giving the Canadiens the following forward lineup:

Cole Caufield – Nick Suzuki – Juraj Slafkovsky

Patrik Laine – Alex Newhook – Ivan Demidov

Brendan Gallagher – Christian Dvorak – Josh Anderson

Emil Heineman – Jake Evans – Joel Armia.