Montreal Canadiens Role Profiles: Ivan Demidov

While he scored 62 points in his rookie campaign, it should be noted that aside from two months in the middle of the season when he had Juraj Slafkovsky opposite him, Demidov didn’t exactly have top six talent alongside him at even strength for most of the year. Alex Newhook is a solid middle-six player but is better suited as a top-end third-line forward. Meanwhile, as mentioned in yesterday’s Montreal Canadiens Role Profile, he was a big reason why fellow rookie Oliver Kapanen scored 22 goals last year. 

Demidov would make incredible passes through traffic that would find Kapanen in the perfect spots. In fact, Demidov did that for everyone that he played with, but Kapanen was the biggest beneficiary of his incredibly high IQ passes.

Based on the way Demidov plays, he’s a lot more of a playmaker than he is a scorer, but one thing that he needs to do more of is shoot the puck. The issue is not that he doesn’t have a great shot; rather, he doesn’t use it enough. Demidov took 127 shots in 82 games during the regular season, averaging 1.55 shots a night. However, in the final 10 regular season games, Demidov took 20 shots for an average of 2 shots per game, showing that he had a little more trust in his shot at the NHL as the season went on.

Getting his shot off more consistently during the 2026-27 season could allow Demidov to score as many as 30 goals with just how accurate his shot can be in the NHL. Chances are he will remain a pass-first player, but one change that could be seen in Demidov is that he may release his shot more often from the right half wall on the power play.

With that being said, shooting the puck more could be one of the things that leads to Demidov breaking out into a point-per-game player as soon as this upcoming season. This is especially the case if players stop expecting him to pass all the time on the power play. As deadly as the Canadiens’ power play was last season, it went through multiple slumps, and some of them could be traced back to Demidov trying to force passes rather than take a shot.

Another factor that will help Demidov get closer to being that point per game player he is expected to be is having a true top six forward playing alongside him. There is the chance that Slafkovsky returns to the second line to play with him again, which would certainly boost Demidov’s numbers. During a 28-game span that Demidov played alongside Slafkovsky, the Russian forward put up six goals and 26 points, which was his best sample of the season.

It also proves that while Demidov can make players around him better, he also needs guys around that could take his game to the next level. It doesn’t need to be Slafkovsky necessarily, but the Montreal Canadiens should certainly get Demidov some help on the second line so they can have two dangerous scoring lines on a nightly basis. While Zack Bolduc could be another interesting option for a Demidov linemate, he isn’t a play driver, and it would leave the sophomore forward to have to continue leading the line on his own. On the other hand, Demidov’s passing abilities alongside Bolduc’s shot could make a great dynamic.

There is also the possibility that Demidov could even find his way on the wing of Cole Caufield and Nick Suzuki at some point if the Canadiens want to load up with all their top offensive talent on one line, but it would be better to spread the offensive talent of the big four forwards across two lines. Therefore, the Canadiens should absolutely consider starting Slafkovsky alongside the 20-year-old forward in training camp.

Demidov seems prime for a big year, as he has worked all summer in Montreal to get faster and stronger on the ice. It wouldn’t be too much of a stretch to expect Demidov to score up to 30 goals and 80 points for this upcoming season, if he has the right linemates next to him. However, if Demidov plays most of the season with Newhook and Kapanen, his numbers may only see a slight increase from last year. 

How many points do you predict Demidov will get with the Montreal Canadiens this season?