What Should We Expect For Ivan Demidov’s Extension

When Demidov spoke to the media on Monday, he immediately mentioned that he hopes to remain with the Habs for the long-term future, as he hopes to be part of what the Canadiens have built. With that being said, he also said that he has spoken to his teammate and good friend Lane Hutson about signing his contract as soon as possible to avoid thinking about it when the season starts. The fact that he spoke with Hutson about getting a deal done in Montreal sooner rather than later shows how badly the duo want to play together going forward and also that he may have learned from Hutson’s contract talks. When Hutson signed his huge 8-year $70.8 million extension ($8.85M cap hit), it came 3 games into the season, and it really seemed like the contract talks were affecting him in those matchups as he wasn’t playing to the level he had shown previously. Once the contract was signed, he immediately turned his game around.

Therefore, from watching how Hutson’s contract talks went into the season, Demidov probably wants to be sure that it doesn’t dip into the start of the year. Not to mention, both players are well aware that Demidov must sign before September 15th, when the new CBA kicks in to get an 8-year contract.

Overall, the Canadiens are in a great contract situation, as besides Demidov, who is eligible for an extension on July 1st, the majority of the team’s core skaters for their upcoming championship window are all locked up long-term. If the Habs can sign Demidov this summer, they will have a lot of money going forward to get the complementary pieces that fit around the core for the next 4-5 years. The term of the contract should be no issue for either side, as both Demidov and likely the Habs will want the deal to be for the maximum years possible. The question of the deal getting done fast is whether or not they can agree on the money side of the contract.

Given that the salary cap will skyrocket up to $104 million next season and $113.5 million the following year, it wouldn’t be surprising if Demidov gets close to $10 million a year for the next 8 seasons. However, knowing how much of a team guy that he is, we should expect something similar to what Hutson took. Besides, it would be hard to argue getting more than his friend Hutson, who is one of the best offensive defensemen in the NHL and was coming off winning the Calder Trophy when he got his deal. Even though he hasn’t proven as much as Hutson did in his rookie season, Demidov’s 19 goals and 43 assists are pretty good and worth a big contract. Not to mention, he will only grow on that total as he progresses but still may never have the impact that Hutson has on the Habs. With that being said, I could see the Habs and Demidov settling on an identical contract to Hutson’s as both their deals eventually transform into massive bargains like the majority of the Habs core has already.

In conclusion, Demidov could easily get around $10 million a season for the next 8 years, and it wouldn’t be an overpayment. However, given that he wants to be in Montreal and seems like he will look out for the future of the team, an identical 8-year $70.8 million deal to that of Hutson’s signed before September 15th would make sense. Now, hopefully that deal can be done quickly and the Habs get that extra year into Demidov’s contract.

Do you think Demidov signs his extension before September 15th, and if so, what is the money that you are expecting?