Alexei Kovalev: 'Slafkovsky Needs More Consistentcy, Demidov Must Be More Than Handsome'

Ivan Demidov is selected by the Montreal Canadiens with the fifth overall pick during the NHL Draft (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)

Alexei Kovalev played his last NHL game more than ten years ago, but he continues to follow the league and the teams where he spent most of his career: the New York Rangers, the Pittsburgh Penguins, and the Montreal Canadiens. He is most interested in the Canadiens this season, where Kovalev played 314 games and scored 264 points (103 goals, 161 assists).

"The Canadiens have a young team that is improving year after year," Kovalev said in an interview with RG. "I hope that they will show interesting hockey this year. The Canadiens are now trying to play in the style inherent to their current head coach Martin St. Louis. St. Louis was always fast and nimble, and predicting what he would do next was impossible. They are trying to play simple hockey now: throwing the puck into the zone, playing on the rebounds, rolling to the goal. As I already said, they have a young team, which means adapting to this kind of game takes time. At the junior level, hockey is different, so the players need time. Everything will work out for them."

Currently working on Spartak's coaching staff in the KHL, Kovalev believes that Juraj Slafkovsky, the first number of the 2022 draft, must improve physically to succeed.

"Slafkovsky needs to be more consistent, and to do that, he needs to add size and endurance," Kovalev said. "Everyone needs to get used to high loads, and he is doing it. His second season was much more successful than his first. He also needs to be more arrogant, play a more straightforward style of hockey, and showcase his best qualities."

One of the most popular players on the Canadiens right now is someone who hasn't played for the team yet. That's forward Ivan Demidov, the fifth overall pick in the 2024 NHL Entry Draft. The 18-year-old forward has had a successful start to the season with SKA, scoring eight points (four goals, four assists) in 10 games. Kovalev likes the Canadiens prospect but believes that, like many of Demidov's peers, he needs to make his game simpler and strive for efficiency, not beauty.

"We have a generation now where everyone wants to play beautifully and do tricks," Kovalev said. "Some young players juggle more than play hockey. But there will come a time when a journalist asks you: 'Where are your 30 goals?' You score ten beautiful goals, but you are capable of scoring 30-40."

Kovalev understands why Montreal fans are keeping a close eye on Demidov. Some compare him to Canadiens legend Guy Lafleur, just as Kovalev himself was once compared.

"Everything will depend on how he shows himself after arriving in the NHL," Kovalev said. "In Montreal, it's not that easy to earn the trust and love of the fans. It's not enough to just be handsome. You have to prove your beauty on the ice. In this case, of course, they love him quickly and strongly. People there understand hockey well."

Kovalev also believes that Demidov will need to cope with the slumps that every hockey player faces.

"Everyone needs to earn their dollar," Kovalev said. "If I were a journalist and didn't like a player, I would look for any opportunity to criticize him. He will have both positive and negative aspects. Hockey players are not robots. They can't always be the same. Much will depend on how he reacts to both admiration and criticism."

In addition to working at Spartak, Kovalev holds personal consultations with Carolina Hurricanes forwards Martin Necas and Andrei Svechnikov. 25-year-old Necas was the Hurricanes' third-leading scorer last season, scoring 53 points (23 goals, 29 assists) in 77 games. 24-year-old Svechnikov scored 52 points (19 goals, 33 assists) in 59 games.

"They have a lot of potential," Kovalev said. "Svechnikov is especially good. He has excellent skills. He has a cheeky style of play. Sometimes, he spent too much energy on unnecessary things. We adjusted that a little. I think he will surprise everyone this year."

In 1,316 NHL games, Kovalev scored 430 goals and 599 assists for 1,029 points. He added another 100, including 45 goals, in 123 playoff games and has a Stanley Cup ring. He also shared his thoughts on how athletes take a break from the grind and his experience.

"Everyone has reasons for distracting themselves from hockey," Kovalev said. "I had my own hobbies to distract myself. Someone goes to the casino. Like Jaromir Jagr, for instance. If you sit in the casino all night and don't get any rest, it may not affect you in two or three games, but if it happens regularly, you may have problems. There was a period in my career when I sat until the morning and played Nintendo. Ultimately, I realized it was bothering me and threw the console in the trash. After that, everything got better."