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Ivan Demidov’s Canadiens Contract Includes Bold Playoff Bonus

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Antonio Losada | Last updated Apr 9, 2025 5:30 AM ET

Ivan Demidov's arrival in Canada to play for the Montreal Canadiens comes with a unique wrinkle rarely seen in rookie NHL contracts.

After the Canadiens announced the signing of the 19-year-old Russian winger on Tuesday, one clause revealed by PuckPedia stood out: a $525,000 bonus if Demidov wins the Conn Smythe Trophy—the NHL's award for the MVP of the playoffs—this postseason.

More than the money Demidov would earn if he goes on to win the award, was caught attention was the fact that Montreal dared to include such a bold clause in the rookie's deal.

That move, however, has an explanation baked into it that has more to do with Demidov's future in the league than his impact in this year's playoffs, let alone the possibility of a rookie with near-zero NHL experience—assuming he debuts before the postseason—winning the MVP.

The #GoHabsGo signed '24 #5 Pick Demidov to 3 year ELC starting this year

Yr 1 775K NHL, 97.5K Signing Bonus, 55K GP Bonus, 525K Conn Smythe Bonus
Yr 2: 877.5 & 97.5K SB, 1M "A" Perf Bonus, 1M "B PB
Yr 3 877.5/97.5/1M/2M

Cap Hit 941K, AAV $2.63M

Rep'd by @HockeyAgent1…
— PuckPedia (@PuckPedia) April 8, 2025

According to league sources, as explained by The Athletic's Chris Johnston, the clause was added to help "maximize the amount he is eligible to earn in performance bonuses in Years 2 and 3 of the deal."

Under NHL rules, a player signing late in the year is unlikely to hit the performance thresholds needed for standard bonuses related to the schedule and how many games he plays.

"By securing (the Conn Smythe clause) plus a $55,000 games-played bonus in his contract for 2024-25, Demidov was able to command $2 million in potential bonuses for 2025-26 and $3 million in potential bonuses for 2026-27," Johnston wrote. "That contract structure will prove lucrative if he has a productive start to his NHL career."

Montreal has four regular-season games remaining and currently holds the second wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference with an eight-point lead over the New York Rangers.

According to Johnston, the NHL permitted Montreal to include the clause in Demidov's deal only because of the Canadiens' late-season push and their high chances of clinching a postseason berth—MoneyPuck gives Montreal 96.8% odds after Tuesday's slate.

The Canadiens drafted Demidov with the No. 5 overall in the 2024 Draft, and he'll join the franchise after terminating his KHL contract with SKA St. Petersburg on Tuesday.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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