Official announcement involving two Canadiens players following decisions made by Kent Hughes
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The Montreal Canadiens didn’t make much noise this summer.
General manager Kent Hughes instead used the opportunity to lock up two important young pieces of his core with two major in-house signings: Ivan Demidov and Jakub Dobes.
On July 1, as soon as he was eligible, Demidov signed an eight-year contract worth $73.2 million, carrying an annual value of $9.15 million.
The 20-year-old is coming off a remarkable rookie season: 62 points, including 19 goals, in 82 games. He finished second in Calder Trophy voting, behind defenseman Matthew Schaefer.
His excitement was obvious:
“Just look at our team.
We have a good core, everyone is around the same age and everyone wants to win the Cup.
Everyone is hungry.”
– Ivan Demidov
The next day, Jakub Dobes followed suit with a three-year, $16.08 million deal.
The 25-year-old goaltender grabbed the starting job with a 29-10-4 record and a .901 save percentage.
Ivan Demidov and Jakub Dobes add to a Canadiens core locked in through 2029-30
Demidov and Dobes join a group that is already committed long term.
That core just reached the Eastern Conference Final after seven-game series wins over the Tampa Bay Lightning and Buffalo Sabres.
The five-game elimination against Carolina still leaves a slightly bitter taste. But with this core together and under contract, the Canadiens believe their best hockey is still ahead.
It’s a nice feature from the NHL that we strongly recommend, focusing on the Montreal Canadiens’ core, especially Ivan Demidov and Jakub Dobes.
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Official announcement involving two Canadiens players following decisions made by Kent Hughes
Is the Canadiens’ current core strong enough to contend for the Stanley Cup by 2029-30?