Hutson And Demidov Will Be Unstoppable Together

The play for the goal actually started when Demidov used his deception to spin off the Senators defenseman before he fed it back to Mike Matheson, who dropped right back to Demidov, who snuck around behind the play. Once he got to the puck, he patiently waited to slide the puck over perfectly to Hutson, while getting the defender covering him off balance with the quick pass. Hutson got himself wide open on the left circle dot with the puck and waited for Demidov to cut to the slot, where he slid him the puck in tight space. Demidov then wired a one-time wrister past the Senators’ netminder for his 3rd goal of the season.

This may be the first time the two elite playmakers have connected so beautifully for a goal at the NHL level, but it surely will be the first of many. Earlier in a game against the Buffalo Sabres, the duo had a shift where they completely dominated to the point where they were toying with the Sabres just between the two of them. What this play showed was just how great they were at setting each other up, but neither was able to get a goal in the exciting play. 

Given their ability to be masters of deception, it is no surprise that just 14 games into Demidov’s NHL career, the two players have great chemistry. The scariest part is that this is simply just the beginning of what these two players will be able to accomplish together. Once the rookie and the 2nd-year defenseman continue to progress, they will eventually become an unstoppable duo late in games when the Habs need a goal to tie it up. They will eventually know where exactly each other is at all times when on the ice together, similarly to how the chemistry of the Habs’ top line is looking currently.

A lot of this is skill, but there is also a lot of practice that is involved for Hutson and Demidov to be able to play so well together. During the majority of August, the duo spent a lot of time working on their various skills together at the Canadiens’ practice facility in Brossard. With their skill sets, there isn’t anyone else on the team who can have the chemistry that both Demidov and Hutson can develop together as masters of deception, taking advantage of their elite hockey IQ to find each other.

As great as these two players can be together, the fact that one is a forward and the other is a defenseman means that they can’t always be on the ice together. This is especially the case in the middle of the games at even strength when the team needs to play more of a 2-way game. Both players are underrated in their own ends, but the reality is their magic is all in the offensive zone. This is why they will usually only get to show their chemistry late in games and on the power play. However, they may get the odd time where they can take over a shift at 5-on-5, nonetheless. 

As both continue to grow, there will be more opportunities for them to show their dominance.

Give it time before the duo officially breaks out as a dominant offensive pairing every night, but we should see many more plays like the ones against the Senators and the Sabres within due time.

How excited are you to watch Demidov and Hutson progress into potential NHL superstars together?