MONTREAL — This was Ivan Demidov asserting himself, in control of the puck and nearly all the scoring chances through the 17 shifts he played against the Vancouver Canucks, authoring the type of game you’d expect from a 10-year veteran and not from a rookie playing in just his 47th NHL regular-season contest.
You’d have surely been surprised by his performance if you hadn’t watched him play the other 46.
If you had, this game was just more of what you’ve come to expect from this dynamic 20-year-old who’s proven wise beyond his years in just a matter of months.
After Demidov recorded three assists to pad his lead in the rookie scoring race and help the Canadiens to a 6-3 win over the Canucks on Monday, teammate Mike Matheson said he isn’t so much “surprised” as he is “impressed” by the young Russian.
Can you blame him?
Everything Demidov has done since stepping out of Russia and into the brightest spotlight in the NHL, in Montreal — where he had to clear two language barriers and the incredibly high hurdle of playing the North American game for the very first time — has been nothing short of impressive. It’s been particularly so, knowing the circumstances under which he arrived.
Last spring, the Canadiens were fighting for their first playoff berth since embarking on a rebuild in 2021, and he was entering the lineup with no margin for error to help them clinch.
And after they did and put up a valiant fight against the Washington Capitals in the playoffs, they returned this season with expectations that would force Demidov to be well ahead of the learning curve.
Other young players who came in at earlier stages of the rebuild, when mistakes were permissible and development trumped results, were given time and grace to figure out the NHL game. But Demidov hasn’t been afforded any — and apparently hasn’t needed it.
That was obvious before he torched the Canucks for a second time this season.
“With young players, you’re going to give them a longer runway for them to get themselves in line and adopt habits,” said Canadiens coach Martin St. Louis on Monday morning. “But I’d say Demi got in line really early.”
Linemate Oliver Kapanen, who scored his 16th goal to extend his lead over all other rookies this season, did too.
But the 22-year-old had a head start. Kapanen was playing pro hockey in Finland before arriving at the beginning of last season, and he had a very productive run in the Swedish Hockey League before returning to the NHL nearly two weeks before Demidov arrived.
Kapanen then played three of Montreal’s five post-season games before playing 11 for the Laval Rocket on their long run through the American Hockey League playoffs, and that experience, coupled with Kapanen’s elite hockey sense, served the young Finn very well.
Demidov had just one season in the KHL and a handful of NHL games to get the most out of his elite toolkit and make the type of impact you’d hope he could make less than two years after being drafted fifth overall by the Canadiens.
“I think he’s just one of those guys that, it sounds very simple, but he can stickhandle without looking at the puck ever, and there’s only a few guys that I’ve ever played with that can do that,” said Matheson.
Who are the other guys?
Matheson pointed to Jonathan Huberdeau, a former third-overall pick who peaked with 30 goals and 115 points as his teammate with the Florida Panthers in 2021-22.
Who else?
“Obviously, Sid,” Matheson said.
He was referring to Crosby… In case you were somehow unaware of who Sid is.
“If there was no puck on the ice, you could find every single guy all the time because you could just look around and never worry about the puck and where it is on your stick,” Matheson said. “So, to have that ability is impressive.”
But not surprising when it comes to Demidov, whose highlight reel was extended by several jaw-dropping stick handles made in Monday’s game.
The kid had one assist and helped the Canadiens earn 93 per cent of the expected goals while he was on the ice in the first two periods before he set up the actual goals that put the game out of reach for the Canucks in the third.
Everything Demidov did away from the puck — his dogged pursuit of it on the forecheck and backcheck, his defensive engagement, his willingness to block shots — was just more of the stuff he’s been doing since the season started.
It’s the stuff that’s afforded Demidov the opportunity to run numbers like he did against Vancouver, the stuff that’s enabled St. Louis to give him ice time and creative licence.
“It’s easy not to overcoach those guys because they’re checking the boxes with the actions that they need to do to take care of the team,” the coach said before Monday’s game.
“I feel once they check those boxes, you kind of get out of the way a little bit, but that doesn’t mean you don’t coach them. Those guys, they coach themselves, they correct themselves. And for me, like with any players, I’m going to coach the trends, I’m not going to coach the one-offs. They’re not going to come off the ice and I’m going, ‘Oh, you should’ve done this there, or oh, you should’ve done that there.’
"I don’t want to take the stick out of their hands. Next thing you know, you crowd their brain and the elite players become average because they don’t play with the anticipation because they’re always asking, ‘What does the coach want me to do here?’”
Demidov has had a strong handle on what’s been expected of him, and he’s delivered it.
“He’s been showing it all year,” said Alex Carrier, who scored two goals in 20 seconds of the second period Monday.
The defenceman also said it hasn’t surprised him, but Demidov’s ability to do it consistently in a schedule that’s much more demanding than any other he’s ever played has.
“I think it’s super hard for the younger guys,” said Carrier. “Especially when it’s your first season and you’ve got to play four in six and five and seven and stuff like that.”
You’d expect it to overwhelm anyone, no matter their talent level.
But Demidov isn’t just supremely talented; he’s also extremely determined.
“He’s got that dog in him,” said Carrier. “Very competitive, and he wants the puck and wants to make those plays.”
Juraj Slafkovsky wants the puck and wants to make those plays, too, and he’s finally doing it night-in, night-out for the Canadiens in his fourth season since being chosen first overall by the franchise in 2022.
Slafkovsky also had three points against the Canucks to get him to 38 through 46 games, while Demidov got to 39.
He’s been as special as we thought he might be before he arrived, and he’s just getting started.
