Canadiens Forward Ivan Demidov Impresses Beyond Points

Montreal Canadiens prospect Ivan Demidov certainly enjoyed a fantastic NHL debut.

On top of registering an assist on just the second shift of his career, Demidov went on to score a great goal a few shifts later. He’s just the third Canadiens teenager in franchise history to score in his NHL debut, following in the footsteps of Mark Hunter and Boom Boom Geoffrion.

It was a confirmation of what most Canadiens fans had been screaming at the top of their lungs for the last year or so.

Demidov possesses elite potential.

Of course, it wasn’t all positive. The 19-year-old forward forgot to mark his man on the back check, which led to a Chicago Blackhawks goal. He was partially responsible for the goal against, but you’d be hard-pressed to find any Canadiens players who have not failed to perform their defensive duties this season.

The most interesting aspect of the defensive blunder was the reaction on social media. Fans from rival teams were quick to point out the mistake while ignoring his earlier production, which connotes there’s a certain level of envy in play.

And that’s great news.

It also happened with Lane Hutson.

But take solace, Habs fans. For years, if not decades, no Canadiens skaters generated such unreasonable hatred, because there were very few elite players in the mix.

IVAN DEMIDOV, TU ES UN MAGICIEN

YOU’RE A MAGICIAN, IVAN DEMIDOV#GoHabsGo pic.twitter.com/z6HQsModRb

— Canadiens Montréal (@CanadiensMTL) April 14, 2025

Ivan Demidov Short-Term Impact on Montreal Canadiens Lineup

Beyond the impressive production in his first game, Demidov also made quite an impact at 5v5.

It’s noteworthy because the second line has been a mess all year long, a situation that has handcuffed head coach Martin St-Louis. It’s more pressing than usual, because playoffs are in play, and the fourth line has completely collapsed since Emil Heineman’s injury in Utah, robbing St-Louis of a significant advantage when it comes to in-game matchups.

If we’re being honest, St-Louis has only had two decent lines at his disposal for the last half of the season, and while he could make life easier on himself by changing his defensive pairings, there’s only one defensive combination that’s working, the pairing featuring Hutson and Kaiden Guhle.

That’s why it’s so important that Demidov’s presence on the second line led to very healthy possession numbers. The sample size was far from ideal, however, it was a sign that he can make an immediate positive impact on the team’s underlying numbers.

The rookie finished his first game by controlling over 55 percent of the shots, 59 percent of the expected goals, and half the high-danger chances at 5v5.

Those numbers are at risk of varying wildly once he plays another game, and we should guard against any sort of long-term statement about his impact, but all things considered, it was a great start to his NHL career, as it showed his offensive prowess can outweigh any perceived defensive issues

NHL GameScore Impact Card for Montreal Canadiens on 2025-04-14: pic.twitter.com/M0Gh9gd9K5

— HockeyStatCards (@hockeystatcards) April 15, 2025

All Ivan Demidov and Montreal Canadiens statistics are 5v5 unless otherwise noted, via Natural Stat Trick. Player Card via Hockey Stats Cards.