{"id":241429,"date":"2025-10-26T13:29:08","date_gmt":"2025-10-26T13:29:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/241429\/"},"modified":"2025-10-26T13:29:08","modified_gmt":"2025-10-26T13:29:08","slug":"ivan-demidov-has-truly-arrived-hes-showing-the-difference-he-makes-for-the-canadiens","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/241429\/","title":{"rendered":"Ivan Demidov has truly arrived. He\u2019s showing the difference he makes for the Canadiens"},"content":{"rendered":"

VANCOUVER \u2014 There might be nothing more political in an NHL dressing room than power-play time.<\/p>\n

Track record matters. Service time matters. But, perhaps most of all, talent matters. And that comes down to the ultimate thing that matters, which is winning.<\/p>\n

Putting Ivan Demidov on the Montreal Canadiens\u2019 top power-play unit has been obvious since training camp, much like putting Lane Hutson on the top power-play unit was obvious since last season\u2019s training camp. But it didn\u2019t happen for Hutson until 20 games had gone by last season, and there was a valid reason for that.<\/p>\n

The Canadiens had Mike Matheson in that spot, a respected veteran with a letter on his sweater who had done the job admirably one year prior. Taking that job away from a respected veteran to hand it to an NHL rookie was not a simple decision for Martin St. Louis to make.<\/p>\n

Same goes for Demidov this season.<\/p>\n

But in this case, Demidov\u2019s insertion on the top power-play unit impacted the captain, Nick Suzuki, because that top unit largely ran through him, and with Demidov on the top unit, it would be running through Suzuki far less.<\/p>\n

Again, this is as much of a hockey decision as it is a political decision, a room management decision.<\/p>\n

But, again, winning matters more than anything else. And it\u2019s quickly become obvious \u2014 far quicker than it was with Hutson last year \u2014 that putting Demidov on the top unit would help the Canadiens win.<\/p>\n

It didn\u2019t Thursday night in Edmonton, when Demidov was first placed on that top unit and the Canadiens lost 6-5. But it most definitely did Saturday night, when Demidov set up power-play goals by Suzuki and Juraj Slafkovsk\u00fd that turned a 2-0 deficit into a 2-2 tie, and Demidov scored what turned out to be the game-winner at even strength in a 4-3 win.<\/p>\n

At a certain point, wins and losses become more important than power-play politics. And in Demidov\u2019s case, that point came very early.<\/p>\n

\u201cGuys respect skill and the stuff that he has, even though he\u2019s a rookie,\u201d Suzuki said. \u201cIt\u2019s not like no one else is ever going to touch the puck. We\u2019re out there, he\u2019s always looking for us and we\u2019re looking for him.<\/p>\n

\u201cI mean, as long as we\u2019re cooking, everyone\u2019s happy.\u201d<\/p>\n

Is there a more just hockey mantra than that? If hockey players cook, hockey players are happy. Simple as that.<\/p>\n

If you look through Demidov\u2019s assists this season, there are numerous examples of easy goals, easy opportunities for players to cook and be happy.<\/p>\n

There was a tap-in for Alex Newhook in the home opener.<\/p>\n

NOTRE PREMIER \u00c0 LA MAISON CETTE SAISON<\/p>\n

NEWY’S GOT OUR FIRST AT HOME#GoHabsGo<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/IeS8L7sb5K<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Canadiens Montr\u00e9al (@CanadiensMTL) October 14, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n

There was an open net one-timer for Suzuki against the New York Rangers.<\/p>\n

PREMIER BUT DE LA SAISON POUR SPOOKY SUZUKI \ud83d\udc7b<\/p>\n

SPOOKY SUZUKI GETS HIS FIRST OF THE SZN#GoHabsGo<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/PD4GAKg2Zv<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Canadiens Montr\u00e9al (@CanadiensMTL) October 18, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n

There was Oliver Kapanen cleaning up on a Demidov attack against the Buffalo Sabres.<\/p>\n

Mention sp\u00e9ciale \u00e0 Carsy<\/p>\n

It’s Kappy hour, stay a while#GoHabsGo<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/CUWms99X8y<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Canadiens Montr\u00e9al (@CanadiensMTL) October 21, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n

There was Matheson getting a backdoor tap-in for the overtime winner in Calgary on Wednesday.<\/p>\n

MIKE D\u00c9CIDE DE L’ISSUE DU MATCH<\/p>\n

MIKE CALLS GAME#GoHabsGo<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/qh8mwgro2h<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Canadiens Montr\u00e9al (@CanadiensMTL) October 23, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n

Including the empty nets Suzuki and Slafkovsk\u00fd had Saturday against the Canucks off Demidov passes, that\u2019s six of his seven assists this season being directly responsible for the goals that were scored.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s not hard for teammates to respect that.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think it was kind of the plan all along,\u201d Suzuki said of the decision to put Demidov on the first power play. \u201cYou just try to ease him into the NHL, get him his touches. It\u2019s been running off my side a lot more, so he doesn\u2019t touch it as much as he was on the other unit. But we can run it off both sides. It\u2019s just a progression. I think Marty just didn\u2019t want him to get thrown into that right away.\u201d<\/p>\n

And then, Suzuki laughed.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut I think everyone kind of predicted it was coming at some point.\u201d<\/p>\n

Demidov had a goal and two assists in a 4-3 win against the Canucks the Canadiens might not have fully deserved. They had their worst start of the season and were lucky to only be down 1-0 after the first period. They barely hung on after giving up a six-on-five goal in the final five minutes.<\/p>\n

But coming off a loss in Edmonton they didn\u2019t necessarily deserve either, this seemed to balance that out.<\/p>\n

From a big picture standpoint, however, this game demonstrated the extent to which doing the obvious thing, putting Demidov on the first power play and allowing it to dictate the outcome of games, could be a game-changer for the Canadiens this season. They had their B-game Saturday night, and pulled out a win because a 19-year-old game-changer was elevated to a position where he had space and talented teammates to finish his plays.<\/p>\n

We saw what Demidov can do with space when he set up Matheson for that overtime winner in Calgary. St. Louis has seen it too, but he didn\u2019t want to just hand this plum job to Demidov without him proving he had earned it. That would have played poorly in the room, but it had become so obvious to everyone in that room that not putting Demidov in a position to be the game-changer he was Saturday night would have had the opposite effect.<\/p>\n

The room would have been wondering why they were being deprived of something they want more than anything, which is wins.<\/p>\n

\u201cI felt I got to a certain point with Demi where he showed me he\u2019s willing to play on the other side of the game, the defensive game, and he\u2019s bought in and is actually very attentive and trying to keep getting better,\u201d St. Louis said. \u201cSo to me, it was all signs led to, \u2018OK, it\u2019s time.\u2019 And also it allows me to give him a little more ice time.\u201d<\/p>\n

This might have been an obvious decision for St. Louis and for anyone watching Demidov play this season, but it\u2019s not that simple. No one knows better than St. Louis how the politics of power play time plays in the room, how that needs to be earned so it plays well.<\/p>\n

The fact that moment came so quickly says a lot about what kind of player Demidov is, how he can make a difference, and how his teammates don\u2019t care if his difference-making ability takes away from their own opportunities.<\/p>\n

Because those abilities will allow them to win, just as it did Saturday night when they didn\u2019t have their A-game.<\/p>\n

And that\u2019s more powerful than anything.<\/p>\n