Prospect Info: [2024 - 5th] Ivan Motherbleeping Demidov (RW), SKA St. Petersburg (MHL)

[Adam Michaels]

A month before the Slafkovsky draft, Russian media reported that Philadelphia and Montreal would not be taking Russians in the upcoming draft.

I remember this report.

The report was correct, and neither team took any Russians. The Habs also traded the only Russian player off their roster on the same day.

I don't think they traded Romanov because he was Russian. I think it was because Habs saw an opportunity to acquire Dach. And because it took a 1st round pick to get him, Romanov was the one who had the value to acquire that 1st from the Isles. And with the influx of LDs who were turning pro (Guhle, Xhekaj & Harris). Romanov became dispensable.

They also fired their Russian scout and had zero presence in Russia.

I don't know if they fired him or his contract was up and didn't renew it. Either way, they already had Boisvert who is an international crossover scout. They had Rockstrom who is a European scout. And they had Bobrov with connections in Russia. And they have their scouts not just be in their own corners, but it's a more collaborative effort.

They've drafted Russians in 2023 and 2024 without a Russian scout.

Just last year, the Habs were the first team in forever to not have any Russians on their NHL or AHL roster.

I’m sure the situation amongst the players wasn’t toxic towards Russians, but there weren’t any Russians to be toxic too. Management clearly had a moral stance against Russian players at the time, and by the time Michkov came around the damage was already done regarding Montreal’s image in Russia.

Not taking Michkov had nothing to do with him being Russian. Because in the same draft, Habs took Konyushkov and Volokhin. And in 2024 they took Demidov and Khanin.

Not taking Michkov had to be either the info the Habs gathered on him turned them off or his 3 years remaining on his contrat also made them weary of taking him.

 

[Grate n Colorful Oz]

The question is this...to who the f*** will Demidov be on par with on this team so that they'd be able to follow his vision? Who scores on this team apart from Caufield?

Chances are if we don't add to it. we will think Demidov is a dud in the NHL 'cause he gets no point when he actually nobody will be able to complete his plays...

If only we could have drafted a talented scorer...but they are not available at the draft we pick....

Laine is on the team, y'know.

 

[Whitesnake]

Laine is on the team, y'know.

Still needs to be determined. Still needs to stay with the team. Imagine that...the only other proven scorer we have and hope for is a guy who is still a huge unknown....and we are suppose to be in the mix...lol

 

[Grate n Colorful Oz]

Still needs to be determined. Still needs to stay with the team. Imagine that...the only other proven scorer we have and hope for is a guy who is still a huge unknown....and we are suppose to be in the mix...lol

Suzuki also scored over 30 last year. That's 3 guys. Caufield, Suzuki and Laine.

You're exagerating the problem.

 

[Adam Michaels]

The question is this...to who the f*** will Demidov be on par with on this team so that they'd be able to follow his vision? Who scores on this team apart from Caufield?

Chances are if we don't add to it. we will think Demidov is a dud in the NHL 'cause he gets no point when he actually nobody will be able to complete his plays...

If only we could have drafted a talented scorer...but they are not available at the draft we pick....

The Habs definitely need to add some more skill.

But having Demidov with the likes of Caufield, Suzuki, Slaf, Dach, Laine (who will still have 1 more year left). Those are talented players. Dach might not look the greatest now, but he is coming back from being a year out with a really big injury. It will take time before he becomes the player we saw him becoming. But when he gets his game back, that's a talented player Demidov can play with.

Hopefully Hage doesn't take long to be with the Habs because this kid looks like he has the skill to keep up with Demidov. And I'm actually looking at someone like Mesar, who plays the game with pace and is off to a strong start in Laval.

 

[morhilane]

The question is this...to who the f*** will Demidov be on par with on this team so that they'd be able to follow his vision? Who scores on this team apart from Caufield?

Chances are if we don't add to it. we will think Demidov is a dud in the NHL 'cause he gets no point when he actually nobody will be able to complete his plays...

If only we could have drafted a talented scorer...but they are not available at the draft we pick....

The real reason nobody score on the team is because of positioning. There is rarelly anyone placed to shovel rebounds or pick a pass to the slot.

 

[Whitesnake]

The real reason nobody score on the team is because of positioning. There is rarelly anyone placed to shovel rebounds or pick a pass to the slot.

Do you think positioning solely comes from X's and O's? Or instinct? Finding an open spot comes from the offensive player IQ. Not strategy on a board.

 

[Michelangelo]

The question is this...to who the f*** will Demidov be on par with on this team so that they'd be able to follow his vision? Who scores on this team apart from Caufield?

Chances are if we don't add to it. we will think Demidov is a dud in the NHL 'cause he gets no point when he actually nobody will be able to complete his plays...

If only we could have drafted a talented scorer...but they are not available at the draft we pick....

Martone or Misa should be good goal scorers imo

 

[Whitesnake]

The Habs definitely need to add some more skill.

But having Demidov with the likes of Caufield, Suzuki, Slaf, Dach, Laine (who will still have 1 more year left). Those are talented players. Dach might not look the greatest now, but he is coming back from being a year out with a really big injury. It will take time before he becomes the player we saw him becoming. But when he gets his game back, that's a talented player Demidov can play with.

Hopefully Hage doesn't take long to be with the Habs because this kid looks like he has the skill to keep up with Demidov. And I'm actually looking at someone like Mesar, who plays the game with pace and is off to a strong start in Laval.

I still have my reservations on Slaf. Real talent will be able to 1-time slap. Slaf have more talent passing than scoring despite his insane hard shot. But he's not precise. And he doesn't have the shot IQ to speed the process of it. The shot has hard as it is, if you wait too much you'll have a stick on you, the goalie will move to block it. to this day, he doesn't process it as a talented player does. Will he? That's the question. Or will he be a 25-goal garbage goalscorer. We still need that...but he won't be considered as pure talent because of it.

Martone or Misa should be good goal scorers imo

Hey Reinbacher is hurt....any chance we go needs and another RD? Logan Hensler is a RD...let's pick him No1.

 

[morhilane]

Do you think positioning solely comes from X's and O's? Or instinct? Finding an open spot comes from the offensive player IQ. Not strategy on a board.

Both.

There is a lots off positional issues right now that should get fixed via video reviews (some already had since the season started irc) and using set plays is X's and O's (and they do that sometimes).

Also, attacking the slot and having a screener is technically X's and O's too. But the forwards are too cream puff to do it outside of Slaff and vintage Gally.

 

[Bombshell11]

The question is this...to who the f*** will Demidov be on par with on this team so that they'd be able to follow his vision? Who scores on this team apart from Caufield?

The answer to this is so easy. There's only 1 guy in the entire roster that could keep up with Demidov.

Yes, you know who i am talking about, you saw my name, you knew right away who i was going to talk about.

Buckle up my friend, because its happening.

 

[LaP]

Imagine thinking Caufield, Suzuki and Slaf are not good enough to follow an elite player and produce with him. Crazy. Totally crazy. In a cap era you can't have 6 elite players in your lineup. If Demidov is elite he'll have to spend his career playing with guys like Dach, Slaf, Caufield and Suzuki like all elite players do.

 

[rahad]

Still needs to be determined. Still needs to stay with the team. Imagine that...the only other proven scorer we have and hope for is a guy who is still a huge unknown....and we are suppose to be in the mix...lol

Let hope we get lucky and draft in the top 3. I don't see Laine staying with us after his contract.

 

[LaP]

Both.

There is a lots off positional issues right now that should get fixed via video reviews (some already had since the season started irc) and using set plays is X's and O's (and they do that sometimes).

Also, attacking the slot and having a screener is technically X's and O's too. But the forwards are too cream puff to do it outside of Slaff and vintage Gally.

Xs and Os can work for a short while. But a lack of skills will always get exposed eventually. Half this board had an orgasm over the Flyers last year, How Tort was a genius and we needed a coach like him. How they were ahead of us in their rebuild. Bla bla bla the usual fefans boring stuff. I spent the whole last season saying it would not last. And so far it does not. Flyers are 3rd last in the league (behind us), they allowed 3 more goals than us and scored 1 less goal than us. They replaced some grinders by kids and it's making them worse (which is normal).

We can fire MSL and hire a dinosaur. Yes short term it will make the team look good while this dinosaur bench the kids, run them under the bus and recall AHLers to play in their place. But it's wont do any good mid or long term. I'm not saying MSL is a good coach. But until the team is good on paper there'S no reason to replace him if the kids like him. If he works well with the kids then no reason to replace him. The entire team is under 23 people should be patient. Mesar is having a better start in the AHL than McGroarty but at their age it doesn't mean anything. As price once said chill out.

 

[Darz]

Nice stat...Demidov is leading the KHL in points per 60 mins played. Not surprising, but nice to see.

Rank	Player	GP	G	A	P	TOI	P/60
1	Ivan Demidov	19	5	10	15	10:17	4.61
2	Nikita Artamonov	18	9	8	17	13:14	4.28
3	Grigory Kuzmin	10	3	3	6	8:30	4.24
4	Arseny Gritsyuk	18	7	12	19	15:30	4.09
5	Vitaly Abramov	19	10	9	19	14:48	4.05
6	Anthony De Angelo	11	3	13	16	22:38	3.86
7	Evgeny Kuznetsov	15	4	11	15	15:38	3.84
8	Nikolas Petan	14	3	12	15	16:51	3.82
9	Daniil Gutik	17	4	13	17	16:08	3.72
10	Vasily Glotov	11	8	3	11	16:23	3.66

 

[KevSkillz4]

The question is this...to who the f*** will Demidov be on par with on this team so that they'd be able to follow his vision? Who scores on this team apart from Caufield?

Chances are if we don't add to it. we will think Demidov is a dud in the NHL 'cause he gets no point when he actually nobody will be able to complete his plays...

If only we could have drafted a talented scorer...but they are not available at the draft we pick....

Slaf and Suzuki are perfect for Demidov. Suzuki can score. Slaf have a great shot aswell, he can become a very good goalscorer with a player like Demidov who make magic in offense zone.

Don't underrated the offensive talent of Slaf. He is the real deal aswell, not talented like Demidov, they are different, but Slaf have also high offensive talent, amazing playmaker and hands. Need to shoot more and can be a 30-35 goalscorer per season.

 

[Darz]

Saw this one on the prospect boards....maybe ever a better stat

https://x.com/i/web/status/1849414973501391275

 

[gusfring]

AT this point I would trade Matheson or Savard and bring DeAngelo over.

 

[overlords]

AT this point I would trade Matheson or Savard and bring DeAngelo over.

the St Hubert crowd would flip out

 

[417]

The question is this...to who the f*** will Demidov be on par with on this team so that they'd be able to follow his vision? Who scores on this team apart from Caufield?

Chances are if we don't add to it. we will think Demidov is a dud in the NHL 'cause he gets no point when he actually nobody will be able to complete his plays...

If only we could have drafted a talented scorer...but they are not available at the draft we pick....

You know...elite players make others around them benefit.

Players benefit from playing with players who have amazing vision, like Demidov has.

This is an odd post.

 

[Leto]

We can fire MSL and hire a dinosaur. Yes short term it will make the team look good while this dinosaur bench the kids, run them under the bus and recall AHLers to play in their place. But it's wont do any good mid or long term. I'm not saying MSL is a good coach. But until the team is good on paper there'S no reason to replace him if the kids like him. If he works well with the kids then no reason to replace him. The entire team is under 23 people should be patient. Mesar is having a better start in the AHL than McGroarty but at their age it doesn't mean anything. As price once said chill out.

Not a comment per se on MSL, but I'd be wary about the team developing a culture of complacency / a country club. We saw that in Ottawa with DJ Smith.​

 

[Whitesnake]

You know...elite players make others around them benefit.

Players benefit from playing with players who have amazing vision, like Demidov has.

This is an odd post.

That's an odd post coming from somebody who saw Josh Anderson never benefit from playing with Suzuki....How is it that you suddenly can find yourself to become a scorer just because you get the puck on your stick? If anybody can do that...why can't they?

Slaf and Suzuki are perfect for Demidov. Suzuki can score. Slaf have a great shot aswell, he can become a very good goalscorer with a player like Demidov who make magic in offense zone.

Don't underrated the offensive talent of Slaf. He is the real deal aswell, not talented like Demidov, they are different, but Slaf have also high offensive talent, amazing playmaker and hands. Need to shoot more and can be a 30-35 goalscorer per season.

Not giving up on Slaf. But it still needs to be proven. Strangely what Slaf has proven to me is more his passing skills than his scoring one...But maybe he'll evolve into a scorer the way Pacioretty did.

Imagine thinking Caufield, Suzuki and Slaf are not good enough to follow an elite player and produce with him. Crazy. Totally crazy. In a cap era you can't have 6 elite players in your lineup. If Demidov is elite he'll have to spend his career playing with guys like Dach, Slaf, Caufield and Suzuki like all elite players do.

you do know that those 3 are pencilled to play together right? Or we will have a line with 4 forwards? Who is left in your 2nd line with Demidov? Dach and Laine. 2 still huge question marks. If Demidov becomes mostly a first and foremost passer...which proven scorer do we have that will benefit from him? Caufield already benefits from Suzuki....so he will profit more if he plays with Demidov? Okay. Though do you see a line of Caufield-Suzuki-Demidov? If not who else....Dach? DAch will be the scorer? Hey maybe if he moves to the wings, and Hage becomes that 2nd centerman...Dach-Hage-Demidov? Maybe. Will Laine will still be with us? In what shape?

You don't see how all of that are question marks? Which in the end makes me question it? lol

 

[LaP]

Not a comment per se on MSL, but I'd be wary about the team developing a culture of complacency / a country club. We saw that in Ottawa with DJ Smith.​

Elite players don't do that. If you have the potential to develop a culture of complacency it means the team is not good. Winners don't step on the ice and be like hey my team has a culture of complacency it will not show up tonight. People focus too much on teams like Buffalo and Ottawa which are the reault of years of bad management more than a culture of complacency. The culture of complacency is the symptom not the problem.

Add a prime Malkin and Crosby or prime Ovy and Backtrom or prime Sakic and Forsberg or prime Yzerman and Fedorov or prime MacKinnon and Rantanen to any team in the NHL and the culture will change overnight no matter what and this with the same coach and the same players. It doesn't mean changes wont have to happen eventually but the team will start to win and you'll be able to evaluate the real holes to fix.

What we see right now is the result of a team not good enough and too young which means we need to add more and be patient. When Rantanen was 19 and MacKinnon 20 the Avs finished dead last in the league and were like really far from the 2nd last position which helped them add Makar to their pipeline. The very next season they made the playoffs.

Luckily (and hopefully) one of those add is in the KHL and already part of the pipeline. Another one should be at the next draft. After that we'll see. It doesn't mean the guys we have can't help it means as a group they're not good enough and/or too young. One player alone can't do it all unless his name is Bure.

 

[Ozmodiar]

Still needs to be determined. Still needs to stay with the team. Imagine that...the only other proven scorer we have and hope for is a guy who is still a huge unknown....and we are suppose to be in the mix...lol

We had a player who scored 33 goals last season.

 

[Redux91]

ESPN today
"Who are the top players outside the NHL? Ranking the top 50 prospects
-4h ago Rachel Doerrie"
Who are the top players outside the NHL? Ranking the top 50 prospects

1-Demidov
9-Lindstrom
14-Sennecke

Just wild by Anaheim and Columbus