Canadiens Ivan Demidov was exactly as advertised in NHL debut

Ivan Demidov came into his Montreal Canadiens NHL debut with sky-high hype and lived up to it against the Chicago Blackhawks on Monday night. 

In the left-winger’s first game since leaving the KHL after a 19-goal and 49-point season with SKA Saint Petersburg, he danced around the goal line before setting up Alex Newhook for a goal and scored his own later in the first period. 

On Tuesday’s episode of Daily Faceoff LIVE, Tyler Yaremchuk and Frank Seravalli discuss the levels the No. 5 pick in the 2024 NHL Draft could hit and his instant fit with the Canadiens amid their push for the Stanley Cup Playoffs. 

Yaremchuk: “Let’s talk about what went down last night, Frank. It was the Ivan Demidov debut in Montreal, and before we get to the end of that game, let’s talk about the beginning because Demidov made an immediate impact. He gets an assist on the Habs’ first goal, and he scores their second goal as well. The Bell Centre was going absolutely bananas for this guy. What did you make of Demidov’s first game in the NHL?

Seravalli: Electric. Just the poise, you see the high-end skill on display, the shot fake, and then to freeze Spencer Knight and move forward, it was impressive the whole night. 

I know some people wanted to harp on the missed offensive assignment and not back-checking all the way, [but] he’ll figure those things out. This is a highly skilled player who needs to adjust to a totally different game played on a different ice surface, and he will. 

In talking to people who are intimately familiar with SKA and watched him play…it’s going to be a punch you in the face type impact from Demidov to add him to the Montreal Canadiens lineup in this playoff push is basically just what doctor ordered. That team had a mojo and a vibe before, and their city was feeding off it. Now, it just gets to a whole other level.

You can watch the full segment and the rest of the episode here…