The real questions would be asked in 2025-26. Could Demidov handle the day-to-day rigours of the NHL \u2014 the pace, the schedule, the rhythm, and the grind? Could he handle NHL opposition day in and day out? After getting his feet wet, could Montreal\u2019s latest wunderkind survive and thrive in the deep end?<\/p>\n
Nineteen goals and 62 points later, questions asked, questions answered.<\/p>\n
While not without its growing pains, Demidov\u2019s rookie season was just about everything anyone could have hoped for. The Russian winger rapidly forged a chemistry with fellow rookie Oliver Kapanen and forced his way onto the top power-play unit. Nine points in the first 10 games became 15 in 20, 35 in 42, 48 in 60, and finally 62 in 82.<\/p>\n
It was the highest total for a rookie in the NHL last season. It stands as the third-highest single-season point total for a Canadiens rookie this millennium. It was a Calder Trophy-worthy season in just about any other year. But sometimes, a rookie defenceman simply steals the show and runs away with the award. No one will begrudge Demidov for placing second behind Matthew Schaefer.<\/p>\n
Voting<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/2026-votes-02.png\")
<\/p>\n
Eight of nine panel members placed Demidov second, with the other putting the product of the SKA system in third.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/Ivan-Demidov.png\")
<\/p>\n
Fifty-seven percent of the community vote had Demidov in second place. One voter placed him fourth, and one had him seventh.<\/p>\n
Top 25 Under 25 History<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/Demidov-2024-26-1.png\")
<\/p>\n
After topping the list last season, Demidov drops one position in his third year of eligibility.<\/p>\n
History of #2<\/p>\n
Year
\n #2<\/p>\n
2026
\n Ivan Demidov<\/p>\n
2025
\n Lane Hutson<\/p>\n
2024
\n Ivan Demidov<\/p>\n
2023
\n Cole Caufield<\/p>\n
2022
\n Cole Caufield<\/p>\n
2021
\n Cole Caufield<\/p>\n
2020
\n Jesperi Kotkaniemi<\/p>\n
2019
\n Jesperi Kotkaniemi<\/p>\n
2018
\n Max Domi<\/p>\n
2017
\n Jonathan Drouin<\/p>\n
2016
\n Brendan Gallagher<\/p>\n
2015
\n Brendan Gallagher<\/p>\n
2014
\n Brendan Gallagher<\/p>\n
2013
\n Alex Galchenyuk<\/p>\n
2012
\n Max Pacioretty<\/p>\n
2011
\n P.K. Subban<\/p>\n
2010
\n P.K. Subban<\/p>\n
Strengths<\/p>\n
When watching him play, the first thing that strikes you about Demidov is his ability to create. It\u2019s a rare occasion where one can predict where the Russian forward will go once he seizes the puck, whether he\u2019s scything through a neutral-zone trap or finding the open man in the offensive zone.<\/p>\n
Two things drive Demidov\u2019s creativity. The first is his extraordinary offensive hockey sense and anticipation, while the second is his immense skill. He has hands that can negotiate most situations, a shot that\u2019s dangerous from almost anywhere in the offensive zone, and skating (despite what some have said) that give him the agility to go where he wants to.<\/p>\n
We saw an early example of not just his hands, but his poise under pressure in October against the Seattle Kraken:<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
We saw his extraordinary vision and ability to orchestrate the play in November against the Ottawa Senators:<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
We saw what his shot can do in December against the Edmonton Oilers:<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
And we saw his passing on display in January against the Dallas Stars:<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Eighty-four regular-season games into his NHL career, Demidov has already shown that he can assert himself as an offensive conductor, with a combination of skill, smarts, and style arguably not seen since Alexei Kovalev.<\/p>\n
Weaknesses<\/p>\n
That is, when he decides to take the bull by the horns. <\/p>\n
Perhaps it\u2019s the natural effect of being a rookie, perhaps it\u2019s a knock-on from his relatively cautious deployment by the coaching staff (Demidov sat 11th among forwards in terms of five-on-five ice time), or perhaps it\u2019s Demidov playing at a level commensurate with what his linemates can handle, but he had a tendency to defer to other players on the ice more often than he should have, often passing when a shot would have been the better option. To put things in reference, Demidov\u2019s 11 shot attempts per 60 minutes at five-on-five was 36% lower than Cole Caufield\u2019s team-leading 17.<\/p>\n
Demidov\u2019s defensive game, while decent, is also an area for improvement. The youngster certainly shows no lack of effort in his own zone or on the backcheck, but he is generally out of his element below the hash marks \u2014 more reactive than proactive.<\/p>\n
Projection<\/p>\n
Ivan Demidov was everything that the Canadiens hoped for and more during his rookie NHL season. The question now is how far he can go, and how quickly he can do it. It is not out of the question that Demidov can become Montreal\u2019s top offensive threat within three years \u2014 yes, more dangerous than even the 100-point centre or 50-goal winger. Under contract until 2035, there is a distinct possibility that his $9.15 million AAV turns into the NHL\u2019s best-value deal sooner rather than later.<\/p>\n
Well, no. Not best. Maybe second-best\u2026.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Introduction Ivan Demidov certainly knew how to make an introduction. Not even a week after touching down in…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":890421,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[433],"tags":[49,48,448,82],"class_list":["post-890420","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nhl","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-nhl","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/890420","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=890420"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/890420\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/890421"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=890420"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=890420"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=890420"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}