Montreal Canadiens fans have been itching to find out when Ivan Demidov is going to make his way to North America ever since he was selected 5th overall at the 2024 NHL Draft.
So far, he’s had a memorable rookie season in the KHL, putting up six goals and 20 points in 29 games. What’s more impressive is that he’s reached those totals with an average TOI of about 10 minutes per game; making him the most productive forward in the entire KHL.
There’s reason to be excited if you’re a Canadiens fan. But, with excitement comes the suspense of waiting; and there’s been a lot of confusion as to when Demidov could potentially come over to North America.
"Demidov can only leave for the NHL this season if Roman Rotenberg agrees to terminate his contract by mutual consent,” the source close to the matter divulged to RG. “This happened when Vladislav Gavrikov and Nikita Gusev left for the NHL. But in their case, there was a behind-the-scenes agreement that the players would go to the IIHF World Championship as soon as Columbus and Vegas were eliminated from the playoffs.”
It’s also worth noting that SKA/Sochi also cut Wild prospect Marat Khusnutdinov from his contract last winter to join Minnesota mid-season after Sochi’s season came to an early end.
But, as a few well-placed sources close to the situation have explained to RG, Demidov’s situation is more delicate than that of his countrymen mentioned above.
Going From The KHL To The NHL
Due to not having a transfer agreement between the NHL and the KHL, bringing over a top prospect immediately after being drafted is virtually impossible; especially if they play for one of the top clubs in the KHL.
For a KHL-based prospect to be allowed to sign a contract in the NHL, they must first terminate their KHL contract or wait for it to expire. It basically places the youngsters at the mercy of their club managers if they wish to finish the season abroad or get out of their contract early.
To gain a little more clarity on the process, RG reached out to the KHL directly to find the exact ruling on the subject:
The contract termination process was further detailed by the well-placed source, having extensive knowledge of the KHL and the termination process.
“Montreal could only sign Ivan this season if SKA agrees to terminate Demidov's contract at the end of the KHL season or earlier by mutual consent, in order to retain his rights, and allow Ivan to sign with the Canadiens before they play their final game of the season," said the source close to the situation, who confirmed the process to RG.
But, the KHL has added another wrinkle to the process this year. Effective this season, the KHL has decided to extend its calendar; pushing the end of their season, on a contractual basis, from May 1 to May 31.
When the KHL season ended on May 1, there was a little more of a win-win scenario for KHL clubs to cut some youngsters loose and allow them to finish the year off with their respective NHL clubs.
KHL clubs would mutually terminate the contracts in a form of good faith to allow the player to go off and play in the NHL, while also retaining their KHL rights in the process. Just letting the player’s contract expire would result in loss of their rights, in case the player ever decides to come back to the KHL down the road.
For the players, they were able to burn their entry-level, NHL contracts right away; allowing them to get to their second NHL contract one year sooner.
But, it seems that, despite the clear precedence in allowing young KHLers the benefit of heading to the NHL early, that goodwill may be tougher to come by for Demidov’s camp.
Saving Private Ivan
Despite the complicated process broken down above, getting top KHL prospects to the NHL early truly comes down to timing and goodwill.
If SKA’s season were to end before Montreal’s, there wouldn’t be any rules blocking SKA from cutting Ivan Demidov loose and allowing him to finish the year in Montreal.
This brings us to the question on every Canadiens fan’s mind: ‘What happens if SKA club manager Roman Rotenberg decides not to fire Demidov after SKA’s season has ended?’
Our source on the subject, who is close to both Demidov’s camp and the SKA organization, sought to answer the question as best they could:
“If Montreal is still in the playoffs on June 1, they will be able to sign Demidov for the 2024-25 season and burn a year of his entry-level contract,” said the source.
Now, Montreal being in the playoff picture, be it in April, May or June 2025 seems incredibly unlikely at this junction. Which means the only way for Demidov to be able to come to Montreal for the end of the 2024-25 season would be if Roman Rotenberg has a change of heart.
But that’s easier said than done.
Contrary to popular belief, the Montreal Canadiens cannot buy out Demidov’s contract for him, nor can they do some offshore accounting magic to incentivize SKA to do anything, according to NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly.
Our well-placed source on the subject, who is well-informed on the situation between Demidov and SKA in Russia, spoke candidly to the potential of the Canadiens swaying their KHL counterparts to make their prized youngster available early.
“Montreal is not going to convince SKA. Demidov has a valid contract. Everyone understands that Rotenberg will not let him go early. No one has any illusions. No one is asking for anything. No one is persuading anyone,” exclaimed the source.
Adding another element to the situation is that, despite publicly admitting their desire to having Demidov in Montreal sooner or later, general manager Kent Hughes is very aware that Demidov will likely not be wearing a Canadiens jersey this season.
“Montreal understands that he will not come to them before the 2025-26 season under any scenario and Ivan himself is fine with this. He's just working off his contract.”
It certainly feels like short-term pain for long-term gain in Montreal, but the hype is continuing to grow, especially as Demidov continues to wow Canadiens fans with impressive highlight-reel plays.
Unfortunately for Canadiens fans, it may take a few more months to wait.
Marco D'Amico is a beat reporter covering the Montreal Canadiens and the NHL Draft, while also being a recurring guest on TSN690 and BPM Sports. His work primarily on NHL CBA breakdowns and prospect analysis, all while covering the Montreal Canadiens on a day-to-day basis.
