HabsWorld.net --
The ever-changing Ivan Demidov saga took another turn on Tuesday, this one a very positive one. He was released from SKA St. Petersburg and soon after, the Habs announced that they signed Demidov to a three-year, entry-level contract.
PuckPedia reports that the deal carries a cap hit of $940,833 and an AAV (including bonuses) of $2.634 million. It breaks down as follows:
2024-25: $775K NHL salary, $97.5K signing bonus, $580K performance bonus ($55K for games played, $525K if he wins the Conn Smythe Trophy), $85K AHL salary
2025-26: $877.5K NHL salary, $97.5K signing bonus, $2M performance bonus ($1M in Class A, $1M in Class B), $85K AHL salary
2026-27: $877.5K NHL salary, $97.5K signing bonus, $3M performance bonus ($1M in Class A, $2M in Class B), $85K AHL salary
Notably, the deal begins this season, meaning that Demidov is eligible to play for Montreal down the stretch and in the playoffs, should they secure a postseason berth in the coming days.
However, no matter how deep the Habs go in the playoffs (if they get there), he won’t be able to play in enough games to accrue a year of service time toward unrestricted free agency.
The Habs drafted the 19-year-old with the fifth overall pick last June. The selection was somewhat of a surprise considering he was widely suggested to be the likely second overall pick so his sliding to five was a pleasant surprise for the Canadiens. Demidov becomes the second player from last year’s draft class to sign, joining Tyler Thorpe who inked his entry-level pact earlier in the day.
Demidov spent this season in his native Russia, suiting up for SKA St. Petersburg at the KHL level. Playing time was hard to come by early on amidst reports that the team was attempting to get him to sign a contract extension with playing time being dangled as a pressure point. However, he did earn his way into more of a regular spot in the lineup as the season went on and he was primarily in their top six in the second half of the year.
Despite the up-and-down playing time (he averaged 13:45 on the season), Demidov actually led the team in scoring, notching 19 goals and 30 assists in 65 games. He added three goals and two assists in six playoff appearances where his playing time was, well, consistently inconsistent once again.
Demidov’s deal with SKA was a three-way contract, making him eligible to play at the VHL and MHL levels. With the deal expiring at the end of May, it was expected that Demidov would be sent down rather than be released early. Instead, they’ve reached a compromise, allowing him to join the Canadiens now while SKA retains his exclusive rights if he returns to Russia down the road.
It will be interesting to see how quickly Demidov enters the lineup upon his arrival. While tonight’s game against Detroit is certainly off the table, he could debut as soon as Friday in Ottawa or Saturday in Toronto depending on how quickly he can get a work permit.
Montreal’s second line has been a bit of a black hole this season. While asking Demidov to come in and try to solve that problem would be asking a lot for a rookie just arriving in North America, it wouldn’t be surprising to see him on that line sooner than later. If he lives up to expectations, he could give that trio quite a boost, giving the team a big lift for their playoff push.
Correction: An earlier version of this article referenced the possibility of this contract sliding. This is not the case.
Demidov was born on December 10, 2005. He signed today, meaning his age for contract-signing purposes is 19. However, there is a clause in the CBA that says a player who signs at age 19 and turns 20 before December 31st of that year is not eligible to slide. Given that Demidov turns 20 on December 10, 2025, the slide is not an option.
