Kent Hughes said after the 2024 NHL Draft that the Montreal Canadiens were trying to keep their desire to select Ivan Demidov a secret. He didn’t do a very good job of that however, because there were several reports before the event that the team was very interested in him, and they also met with him on several occasions in the days before the draft in Las Vegas.
Several teams attempted to trade with the Columbus Blue Jackets to move up to fourth overall and steal Demidov, indicating that other teams were also aware of the best course of action for Montreal after three selections had been made. Refusing to back down, the Blue Jackets selected their desired prospect, Cayden Lindstrom, and Demidov—who many scouting sources agreed was the second-best player in the draft—lost to Montreal at fifth overall.
The “Russian factor” was at play as it often is with uncertainty about the career path for players from a nation with no transfer agreement with the NHL. Just days earlier, the main face of that debate, Matvei Michkov, had been confirmed to join the Philadelphia Flyers after a couple of years of uncertainty about his situation. In that case, his KHL contract was actually terminated early to allow for the move, and that suddenly boosted Demidov’s stock. A handful of clubs had him near the top of their lists, but Montreal was the team to claim his rights.
The player they selected had just put together a great year. Despite playing only 30 games in the regular MHL season, Demidov posted 60 points, four back of the Russian Junior league’s leading scorer, Ivan Volgin, who played 24 more games. He then co-led the post-season with 28 points in 17 games. Even with his limited playing time, he finished third in the league in plus-minus at +47, and tied for the top spot in the playoffs at +19.
