Shocking Update On Montreal Canadiens Top Prospect And His Future In The KHL

When Ivan Demidov fell to No. 5 overall in the 2024 NHL Draft, Montreal Canadiens fans were ecstatic, as he represents a key piece of the franchise's future after their turnaround in 2024/25.

This season in the KHL, the 19-year old has been a star as well, leading his team in scoring with an impressive 19 goals and 49 points in 64 games played, but as of late, things have taken a turn for the worst.

With reports that he was likely headed to North America after this season, his fortunes changed with SKA St. Petersburg as he often found himself a healthy scratch, a move that continues to this day.

After his latest scratch, Roman Rotenburg, the Head Coach of the team all but confirmed he will remain a healthy scratch for the KHL Playoffs, meaning that he has potentially played his last game in the league.

Despite being young, Demidov's maturity and his physicality could allow him to play in the NHL right away, so while some Canadiens fans were hoping that this drama could lead to an early release, that doesn't seem to be the case, although Andrew Zadarnowski confirms that his contract is up in May of this year.

What that likely means is that Demidov is headed to the United States very, very soon, and while the handling of his season in the KHL has been nothing short of confusing, he's shown more than enough to be considered one of, if not the best prospect in the entire NHL heading into 2025/26.