- Top Canadiens prospect Ivan Demidov will make his NHL debut tonight against the Blackhawks with a playoff berth on the line, head coach Martin St. Louis confirmed this morning (via Eric Engels of Sportsnet). The winger will skate on a line with Joel Armia and Alex Newhook and see reps on the second power-play unit, Engels relays. The 19-year-old signed his entry-level contract last week after being released early from his commitment with SKA St. Petersburg of the Kontinental Hockey League. Barring any surprises, the 2024 No. 5 overall pick should be in Montreal’s playoff lineup – assuming they clinch – after leading SKA with 19-30–49 in 65 games this season and setting the KHL record for points in a season by a U-20 player.
Canadiens Rumors
Canadiens, Ducks Discussed Potential Trevor Zegras Trade
In many sports, trades that don’t occur can be just as captivating—if not more so—than those that do. A recent example of this involves the Montreal Canadiens, who were reportedly close to acquiring Trevor Zegras from the Anaheim Ducks during the 2024 NHL Draft, according to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman in his column 32 Thoughts.
Friedman writes in his column that he’s never received clarity on why the deal didn’t take place, but he believes it had to with Ivan Demidov falling to the Canadiens as the fifth overall pick. Friedman asserted that Montreal wasn’t offering their fifth overall pick for Zegras, but he filled their immediate need for a younger top-six forward.
Although it’s hard to say with certainty, it’s easy to think Zegras would have fit in nicely with Martin St. Louis’s system in Montreal. St. Louis has been regarded as an offense-first coach and is credited for allowing sniper Cole Caufield to blossom when he took over behind the bench in 2021-22.
Zegras isn’t as highly praised as Caufield for putting pucks in the net, but he has been known as a capable point-producer when healthy. He’s scored 67 goals and 185 points in 265 games with Anaheim, including back-to-back 60-point campaigns from 2021 to 2023.
Unfortunately, his ability to stay healthy has been an issue for the past few years. Since the 2023-24 campaign began, Zegras has appeared in 85 games for the Ducks, equating to 52.79% of potential contests. Furthermore, his defensive shortcomings haven’t meshed well with Greg Cronin’s system, leading to a flurry of trade rumors during that stretch.
Still, it could be a trade that the Canadiens revisit this off-season. It is widely recognized that Zegras, Caufield, and Jack Hughes of the New Jersey Devils share a close friendship that dates back to their time with the U.S. National Team Development Program. It would be an interesting storyline to see at least two of them reunited on the same team.
Depending on how their postseason run turns out, Zegras would be an interesting candidate to usurp Alex Newhook as the team’s second-line center. That would give Montreal a bona fide top-six, taking some pressure off their first line, who has carried them on their shoulders this season.
Montreal Canadiens Sign Ivan Demidov To Entry-Level Contract
2:33 p.m.: The news is official. Montreal announced they’ve signed Demidov to a three-year entry-level contract from 2024-25 to 2026-27. He’ll burn the first year of that contract during the remaining games of the regular season.
1:21 p.m.: The Montreal Canadiens won’t have to wait long for their top prospect to join the NHL ranks. According to his now-former team, the KHL’s SKA St. Petersburg, Ivan Demidov will join the Canadiens for the remainder of the 2024-25 season.
In the announcement, SKA said:
“Thank you, Ivan.
SKA and Ivan Demidov have taken a joint decision which will see the forward join the Montreal Canadiens this season. His KHL rights will remain with SKA. He will return to Saint Petersburg if he doesn’t gain a foothold in the NHL.”
Montreal selected Demidov as the fifth overall pick in the 2024 NHL Draft. He has drawn significant comparisons to Philadelphia Flyers rookie Matvei Michkov, as both players possess an exceptional blend of speed and offensive talent. On draft day, concerns arose regarding Michkov’s contractual commitments in the KHL, and similar worries existed about Demidov’s obligations with SKA.
However, these concerns are now a thing of the past for the Canadiens. Demidov has just completed his first full season in the KHL, during which he scored 19 goals and tallied 49 points in 65 games, achieving a +14 rating. This season marked the highest scoring for a KHL player under 20, with the closest competitor being Carolina Hurricanes’ prospect Nikita Artamonov, who recorded 22 goals and 39 points in 63 games.
Depending on the timing of his arrival, Demidov will have access to meaningful hockey with Montreal. Before their important matchup tonight against the Detroit Red Wings, the Canadiens own the final wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference with a six-point gap on Detroit.
With the Canadiens unlikely to separate their top forward unit, Demidov is expected to join the second line alongside Alexander Newhook and Patrik Laine. Demidov could create a dangerous duo next to Laine, who’s recorded 20 goals and 47 games this season, 15 of which came on the powerplay.
There may be some concerns regarding Demidov’s performance in the defensive zone. Similarly to Michkov, who owns a well below-average 85.2% on-ice save percentage at even strength this season, Demidov doesn’t focus much on his defensive game, which could hurt Montreal in the playoffs.
The Canadiens don’t have a particularly challenging defensive unit to play against, either. The team has given up the 12th most shots in the league this year, and a 23rd-ranked save percentage blocking those shots. Montreal is entering a territory where they could overwhelm teams with offensive pressure, but defensive prowess is typically customary in the Stanley Cup playoffs.
Regardless, the Canadiens will be enthusiastic about the recent development. Montreal has drafted well after embarking on their rebuild after finishing as runner-up in the Stanley Cup Final in 2021 and will soon begin reaping the rewards of their moves.
Canadiens Sign Tyler Thorpe To Three-Year Contract
1:00 p.m.: According to PuckPedia, Thorpe’s entry-level contract breaks down as follows:
- Year 1: $775K salary, $97.5K signing bonus, $102.5K unspecified games played bonus
- Year 2: $775K salary, $97.5K signing bonus, $102.5K unspecified games played bonus
- Year 3: $775K salary, $85K signing bonus
9:47 a.m.: The Montreal Canadiens have signed 2024 fifth-round pick Tyler Thorpe to a three-year, entry-level contract. Thorpe has also signed an AHL professional try-out agreement with the Laval Rocket for the remainder of the 2024-25 season. Laval has five regular season games, and likely a hardy playoff run, remaining in their year.
Thorpe has spent the last three seasons with the WHL’s Vancouver Giants, where he’s grown from a menial bottom-six power-forward to a top-six scorer. He managed 27 goals and 52 points in 68 games this season, good for third on the team in goals and fifth in scoring among forwards. The performance was a slight downtick in point-per-game scoring from Thorpe’s 23 goals and 44 points in 51 games last season. It was on the heels of that performance that Montreal chose to draft Thorpe in the midrounds – no doubt allured by his six-foot-five, 215-pound frame.
Thorpe does it all in his hefty frame – capable of filling a strong role in front of the net, beating opponents with a heavy shot, or throwing his body around in the corners. He’s grown substantially in his ability to move around in his big frame, a direct contributor to his growth from just six points as a rookie to 44 last year, and then to 52 this season. Thorpe’s finding new ways to make an impact in all three zones, and should enter the pro flight with a projectable style thanks to his size advantage. He’ll find comfort in his abilities to control the netfront, but Montreal will surely watch for his hard shot to reach a pro level.
With this move, Thorpe becomes the third 2024 fifth-round pick to sign their entry-level deals, behind Utah’s Owen Allard and Edmonton’s Connor Clattenburg.
Canadiens' Ivan Demidov Could Play In MHL, VHL Playoffs
The KHL season has ended for SKA St. Petersburg after back-to-back overtime losses to Dynamo Moscow last week. That news was meant ot mark celebration for Montreal Canadiens fans eager for top prospect Ivan Demidov to come overseas, but it seems SKA wants to get the most out of their young star before he departs. Demidov is now expected to partake in the playoffs of both the VHL – Russia’s second-tier pro league – and maybe even the MHL – Russia’s under-21 league – per Marco D’Amico of Responsible Gaming.
Canadiens’ Prospect Ivan Demidov Concludes KHL Season
Montreal Canadiens’ top prospect Ivan Demidov’s KHL season has just concluded, per a SKA St. Petersburg social post, and now eyes turn to the future of the skilled forward. Selected fifth overall by the Habs in the 2024 draft, Demidov, 19, scored 19 goals and 49 points in 65 games this season in Russia’s top league. He added an additional five points in six playoff contests.
The 6’0, 192-pound right wing is believed to have an NHL-ready offensive game, and his performance this year in the KHL has done nothing to diminish his buzz in Montreal. He also produced a robust 60 points in 30 games in the MHL (the KHL’s junior league) last season. Despite this success, Demidov often found himself in head coach Roman Rotenberg’s doghouse throughout the season and averaged only 13:45 of ice time per contest. Even with limited playing time, the teen led St. Petersburg in scoring. So, what’s next for the rising star?
Russ Cohen of The Hockey News noted that it’s not uncommon for younger stars to play limited minutes in the KHL to accommodate the playing time of veterans. He added that while Demidov is offensively gifted, he does have work to do in the defensive zone. While his situation has parallels to that of Flyers rookie Matvei Michkov, Demidov’s contract with the KHL is set to expire in May, making his transition to America easier than that Michkov. This could set the stage for Demidov to make his North American debut for the Habs next season. If that is the case, the Canadiens will gladly sign up for a duplicate of the success Michkov has had in Philly this season, where he has produced 24 goals and 58 points in 75 games.
Whenever he does make his way overseas, another one of his countrymen is optimistic the top-five pick will have a strong run of success in Montreal. Former Canadiens winger Alexander Radulov spoke to Sergey Demidov of Responsible Gambling about the 2024 fifth-overall pick and said Demidov will be “having a blast” when he likely begins his NHL career in the closing days of the 2024-25 season. Radulov played for the Yaroslavl Lokomotiv in the KHL this year, scoring 18 goals and 34 points.
Canadiens Sign Jacob Fowler To Entry-Level Contract
April 4: Montreal made Fowler’s signing official this morning. PuckPedia has the terms of his deal, which carries a cap hit of $923K:
2025-26: $775K NHL salary, $95K signing bonus, $80K games played bonus
2026-27 + 2027-28: $885K NHL salary, $95K signing bonus, $500K Schedule ’A’ performance bonus
April 3: The Montreal Canadiens are expected to announce the signing of star goalie prospect Jacob Fowler to a three-year, entry-level contract beginning in the 2025-26 season on Friday. The move was first reported by Marco D’Amico of Responsible Gambler. It was seconded by PuckPedia and sources available to PHR. The move was also mentioned as the likeliest outcome by Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic on Wednesday. In alignment with LeBrun’s thoughts, PuckPedia has added that Fowler is expected to finish the season on a try-out agreement with the AHL’s Laval Rocket.
Fowler is near the very top of the list for best goalie prospects currently outside of North American pros. He’s been a terror in every league he’s played in, dating back to his junior debut with the USHL’s Youngstown Phantoms. Fowler moved to the USHL after growing up through Florida Alliance AAA and Selects Academy AAA – two programs with little in the way of superstar alums during his tenure. But he came into the USHL with full force, recording a tremendous 11-4-1 record and .927 save percentage in his first 18 USHL games playing in the latter half of Youngstown’s season. That mark continues to stand as the highest save percentage of any U18 goalie in USHL history, among those with more than 15 games played.
Fowler followed up his record-breaking introduction to the USHL with a legacy season in 2022-23. He posted an incredible 27-9-3 record and .921 save percentage through 40 games that season while leading Youngstown to a clear spot in the USHL playoffs. Not to be outdone, Fowler became a Youngstown legend in the postseason – recording an incredible 8-1-0 record and .952 save percentage in nine games played to lead the Phantoms to the first Clark Cup Championship in franchise history. He earned the USHL’s Goalie of the Year and Playoff MVP awards for his performances. More importantly, the Montreal Canadiens also landed Fowler with the 69th-overall pick in the ensuing 2023 NHL Draft. He was the sixth goalie off the board that year, after the second round saw Adam Gajan, Michael Hrabal, Trey Augustine, Carson Bjarnason, and Damian Clara all taken off the board.
With this move, Fowler becomes the third goaltender of his class to sign their first pro
contract. He earned that deal with two fantastic seasons behind a loaded Boston College after his draft selection. Fowler stepped immediately into the Eagles’ starting role as a freshman last season and made them look genius for the decision. He only lost seven games on the season – posting a 32-6-1 record and a .926 save percentage in 39 games played. That performance earned Fowler the Hockey East ’Goaltender of the Year’ award, making him the first freshman to take home the hardware since Cayden Primeau in 2017-18. Primeau was himself the first freshman to win since Connor Hellebuyck in 2012-13 and Thatcher Demko in 2013-14.
In natural fashion, Fowler found a way to improve his performance this year. Behind a slightly weaker BC lineup, he recorded a 25-7-2 record and a .940 save percentage in 35 games. That was the second-highest save percentage of the college hockey season, behind only Alexander Tracy of Minnesota State. The brick-wall performance earned Fowler a unanimous vote for Hockey East’s ’Goalie of the Year’ award this season, making him just the fourth goalie to ever win it in back-to-back years and the latest since Primeau.
It is that momentum that Fowler will bring into his first pro games in the Montreal organization. But he might have even more reason to prove his worth after attending in person the NHL debut of BC teammates Ryan Leonard and Gabriel Perreault. Fowler will need the extra oomph to win out ice time on a Laval roster currently being spearheaded by none other than Cayden Primeau. The former Hockey East superstar Primeau has recorded a fantastic 19-2-1 record and .922 save percentage in 22 AHL games this season, though his year has been held just shy of truly spectacular by a .836 save percentage in 11 NHL games. Nonetheless, Primeau will be the Rocket’s clear-cut starter for the remaining nine games in their regular season.
That means Fowler will be in contention with backups Connor Hughes and Luke Cavallin for ice time. Hughes has posted a stout 15-11-3 record and .906 save percentage in 28 games – earning the edge in most games played on the team while Primeau was with the NHL lineup. Cavallin hasn’t been nearly as exciting, with a 1-1-0 record and a .897 save percentage in three AHL games. With plenty of hype behind him, Fowler shouldn’t have a problem earning one or two games before the end of the year. Should he perform well, he could quickly become a glue guy for a Laval team with high playoff hopes in mind. The Rocket rank on top of the AHL with 92 points as the season is drawing to a close and will be a favorite to go the distance – especially after they add a star prospect with a rich history of taking home multiple pieces of hardware.
Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.
Canadiens Recall Oliver Kapanen
The Canadiens have recalled forward Oliver Kapanen from his loan to Timrå IK of the Swedish Hockey League, the team announced. He’ll join the NHL roster and could be on hand for tomorrow’s game against the Bruins. Their active roster will stand at 23 players with the move.
Kapanen, 21, has had an unusual season. The 2021 second-round pick had an exceptional training camp and cracked Montreal’s opening night roster – much to the surprise of Timrå, who planned on him being a core piece of their group this year when they signed him to a two-year contract last summer. Kapanen’s run in the NHL ended in early November, though, and since he’s spent fewer than 60 days on the NHL roster and wasn’t a first-round pick, he had to be offered back to Timrå instead of being sent to AHL Laval. Understandably, Timrå took the opportunity to bring him back into the fold.
Timrå dropped their playoff quarterfinal series to Frölunda HC last weekend, so Kapanen’s season overseas is over – making him free to rejoin the Habs. The 6’0″ center appeared in 12 of Montreal’s first 13 games before being returned to Sweden, recording a pair of assists and a minus-four rating. He managed 13 shots on goal and won 46% of his faceoffs while averaging 11:38 per game. He didn’t factor into Montreal’s penalty kill but did receive some power-play deployment, recording one of his helpers with the man advantage. At even strength, Kapanen only controlled 41.7% of shot attempts and 39.0% of expected goals, letting the Habs know there’s room for improvement in his possession game.
In Sweden, the nephew of ex-NHLer Sami Kapanen and the cousin of the Oilers’ Kasperi Kapanen had a monster year as expected. He was a core piece of Timrå’s fourth-ranked offense out of 14 SHL teams, placing fourth on the club with 15-20–35 in 36 games. He added two goals and an assist in their six-game loss to Frölunda.
Kapanen is one of the better forwards in a loaded Canadiens prospect pool, ranking No. 9 in the system per Scott Wheeler of The Athletic. A projectable third-line center with a responsible defensive game, he faces internal competition for the role from 2022 second-rounder Owen Beck (No. 7). They have comparable two-way ceilings. However, when all is said and done, the latter will likely have more upward mobility in an NHL lineup. Beck, who’s back in Laval after an NHL call-up earlier this year, has one assist and a minus-three rating through his first 13 NHL games.
It’ll be the former getting the chance to slot into the lineup for Montreal down their most crucial stretch run in four years. Following last night’s huge overtime win over the Panthers, they sit two points ahead of the Blue Jackets for the final wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference with a 35-30-9 record, but Columbus has a game in hand. Still, the Habs’ playoff chances are over 50%, per MoneyPuck. While he may not slot in down the middle with Nick Suzuki, Alex Newhook, Christian Dvorak, and Jake Evans set as their center corps, he could get a chance on the wing over fourth-line enforcer Michael Pezzetta.
Prospect Notes: Kirsanov, Pinelli, Hage
With the end of the season nearing, news surrounding some of the league’s top prospects is beginning to ramp up. The Los Angeles Kings are the focal point of the latest updates, after news that Russian defender Kirill Kirsanov could sign with the team at the end of the season, per Scott Coffman of Mayor’s Manor.
The Kings drafted Kirsanov in the third round of the 2021 NHL Draft, just months after his rookie season in Russia’s KHL came to a close. He tallied just three points in 29 games in his first pro year, but showed upside as a heavy and physical presence in the defensive end. Kirsanov continued to plant his feet in the KHL in the subsequent three seasons, routinely rivaling 25 games and a few points each year. He’s found a bit more stride with Novgorod Torpedo this season, with a career-high seven points in a career-high 34 KHL games – though his best impact remains close to his end boards. It will be the six-foot-two, 220-pound frame that Los Angeles looks forward to in signing the 22-year-old Russian, as they look to find the hefty compliment for impactful youngsters like Brandt Clarke and Jordan Spence.
Other notes across the prospect world:
- The Columbus Blue Jackets have assigned 2023 fourth-round draft pick Luca Pinelli to the AHL’s Cleveland Monsters. Pinelli’s OHL season with the Ottawa 67s came to an end on Sunday. He closed the season with a team-leading 37 goals and 71 points in 52 games. That’s just narrowly ahead of his scoring pace last season, when he potted 48 goals and 82 points in 68 games. But Pinelli’s story tood tall this year, as he led a 67s roster that struggled to score when he was off the ice. Ottawa managed just 205 goals as a team, good for third-lowest in the OHL. Pinelli is a speedy puck-handler who pushes transition – and carries surprising heft and strength on the puck for his five-foot-nine frame. He’ll be an interesting prospect to watch in the pros, after scoring 252 points in 246 career games, and four seasons, in the OHL.
- Top Montreal Canadiens prospect Michael Hage has decided to return to the University of Michigan for his sophomore season, per Marco D’Amico of RG Media. Montreal drafted Hage 21st overall in the 2024 NHL Draft, after he scored 33 goals and 75 points in 54 USHL games as the Chicago Steel’s top center. He followed that performance with 13 goals and 34 points in 33 games in Michigan’s top-role this year – good for second in scoring on the Wolverines behind 23-year-old junior T.J. Hughes’ 38 points. Hughes is viewed by many as a top college free agent this summer. His signing could open a clear path for Hage to become Michigan’s true star scorer next year. On top of many returnees on a young roster, Hage will be joined by 2025 NHL Draft prospects Cole McKinney and Aidan Park in 2025-26.
Canadiens Notes: Armia, Savard, Dvorak, Guhle
In an interview with Pierre LeBrun for The Athletic (subscription link), Canadiens GM Kent Hughes acknowledged that he was initially approaching the trade deadline as if they’d be selling. But the team went on a run after the 4 Nations break, resulting in a change of plan. In doing so, he noted that he started to move the goalposts on his asking price for winger Joel Armia, his most notable pending unrestricted free agent. Hughes admitted that while he wouldn’t say a flat-out no to acquiring teams, he readily stated that it would take a big overpayment to get him. Earlier this month, it was reported that the Canadiens had a second-round pick on the table for Armia but clearly, the adjusted asking price came in higher than that.
More from Montreal:
- Also from that interview, Hughes stated that he went into the deadline not expecting to move center Christian Dvorak or defenseman David Savard. He noted that with mid-round picks being the potential return for each of them, it wasn’t worth doing to add those while weakening their farm team in Laval which has been in a close battle for first in the AHL in recent weeks. Also, with one of the deeper prospect pools in the league and with 21 selections over the next two drafts, there wasn’t as much of a need to add extra picks to the cupboard. Both Dvorak and Savard are slated to be unrestricted free agents this summer and are likely facing pay cuts from their cap charges of $4.45MM and $3.5MM respectively.
- Defenseman Kaiden Guhle took part in today’s morning skate in a non-contact jersey, relays TVA Sports’ Renaud Lavoie (Twitter link). The 23-year-old is working his way back after suffering a lacerated quad tendon in late January. He’s still likely a little while away from returning to the lineup but if Montreal can hang around the playoff picture a bit longer, they could get a nice boost to their back end for the late push with Guhle being a big part of their top four, logging more than 21 minutes a night before being injured.