The Montreal Canadiens waited almost a year to draft the player they wanted. Luckily, Ivan Demiodov was available at the fifth overall position in this year’s draft, or all the waiting would’ve been for naught. There was mass excitement from Canadiens’ management and the fans, as Demidov represents the potential for the Habs to have a top-notch scorer shortly.
Canadiens’ Demidov Still Has a Year Left on His Contract
Canadiens’ general manager (GM) Kent Hughes couldn’t wait to get to the podium and have Quebec icon Celine Dion announce the fifth overall selection. Once they realized Demidov was there, the excitement on him and their top scouts, Martin Lapointe and Nic Bobrov was unreal; they had wanted to draft this player since before the 2023 Draft. In 2023, another Russian, Matvei Michkov, was a well-sought-after prospect who fell to the fifth overall position where the Habs were drafting. Still, they passed on him for a defenceman in David Reinbacher. Canadiens fans were not happy with them passing on Michkov, and it was suspected that it was because of the uncertainty of when he could play in North America as he was signed to a three-year contract with SKA St. Petersburg of the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL).
Demidov is also signed with SKA but has only one year left. If he plays out his contract in the KHL, he will be available to the Canadiens in 2025-26. The fear of not getting your star prospect for three years was never in the cards with Demidov; although the Canadiens say that the Michkov contract wasn’t the reason they didn’t draft him, many still believe it was a massive factor in Michkov falling to seven in the 2023 Draft. We know now that the Philadelphia Flyers won’t need to wait three years, and Michkov will play next season.
KHL Separates From Ice Hockey Federation of Russia and IIHF
For years, the KHL has been part of the Ice Hockey Federation of Russia (IHFR), connected to the International Ice Hockey Federation, which controls the international rulebook and processes international transfers while also presiding over the Olympics and world championships at all levels of men’s and women’s hockey. The KHL is now releasing its league from the IIHF rules so it can govern its league independently but still report to the Ministry of Sport in Russia.
With the KHL moving away from IIHF rules, it could be easier for NHL teams or teams of any league to acquire…
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