The Canadiens were one of the big breakthrough teams in the NHL during the 2024-25 season, making the playoffs for the first time since the 2020-21 season. Their young core of Nick Suzuki, Cole Caufield, Juraj Slafkovsky and Lane Hutson was the biggest driving factor behind that success.
That core has another key member joining it this season in Ivan Demidov. Technically, he joined them late last season in the playoffs, but we only saw brief glimpses of him on the ice.
Now that he is entering his first full season in the NHL, he is already one of the top favorites to win the Calder Trophy this season, and he should have a great chance to take it. Not only because of his talent, but also because he is going to be put into a good situation with an improving young team that has a lot of offensive talent around him.
If he does win it, that would be back-to-back rookies of the year for Montreal after Hutson’s win a year ago.