On the first day of free agency, there was not an unrestricted free agent who signed a contract <\/a>with a bigger AAV than Demidov. The Canadiens made a big commitment, but there also wasn’t a player that is as talented as Demidov. <\/p>\n
The first day of free agency is always busy around the league, but for the Montreal Canadiens, they made mostly minor moves that will help Laval more than the NHL team. However, while they didn’t add any top unrestricted free agents, they still walked away with the best move of the day with an eight-year extension for forward Ivan Demidov.<\/p>\n
Demidov was the Canadiens first round pick in the 2024 NHL Draft and is entering the final year of his entry-level contract this season. Last season was his first full season in the NHL, and he made an immediate impact with 19 goals and 43 assists in 82 games, with another nine points in 19 playoff games.<\/p>\n
Ivan Demidov was rewarded with a long-term deal but the Montreal Canadiens might be the big winner<\/p>\n
It is certainly a risk for a team to commit long-term to a player after only one season, but what Demidov showed the Canadiens and the rest of the league, it shouldn’t be a concern. The eight-year contract has an AAV of $9.15 million and will only get better each passing season.<\/p>\n
The salary cap is expected to continue to rise, and if it does, at an average of 4%, Demidov’s salary during the 2034-35 season would be equivalent to a contract with an AAV of $5.8 million<\/a>.<\/p>\n On the first day of free agency, there was not an unrestricted free agent who signed a contract <\/a>with a bigger AAV than Demidov. The Canadiens made a big commitment, but there also wasn’t a player that is as talented as Demidov. <\/p>\n
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