We can’t wait for the Canadian’s most recent first choice, Ivan Demidovarrives in Montreal to begin his career in the NHL.
Until then, we will have to be patient as he plays out his contract year in the KHL with the St. Petersburg SKA.
His season had started well and he was playing important minutes alongsideEvgeny Kuznetsov. He was even the best scorer on his team after 7-8 games. Impressive for an 18-year-old playing with one of the best teams in the KHL, a league known for being extremely difficult for young players.
That said, for 5 games, he has played on average 4-5 minutes per game, a playing time normally reserved for the tough guys of the NHL in the 90s, because let’s face it, today, even the players 4th line players play approximately 10 minutes per game.
Several journalists asked questions and all this reached the ears of Roman Rotenbergthe SKA coach, who offered a response to the Canadian hopeful’s playing time.
Quite a special answer, to be polite.
Rotenberg talks about Demidov as a secret weapon in his lineup that he sends out at an opportune moment to score an important goal, like a ‘super-sub’ in soccer (super-substitute).
He played with different partners, including Kuznetsov. But Evgeni plays 23 minutes per game, and Demidov about six. Why has ice time dropped so much?
You talk about playing time, ice time – you must have been educated in America. But you have to look objectively at all the qualities of a hockey player. Even though he only played once and scored the winning goal. I watched the World Junior Championship, a player from Team USA sat the entire game, then he stepped in and scored the winning goal. This means that the head coach has prepared him well for this match.
Such examples also exist in football. Do you remember a player like Schulscher (speaking of Solskjaer – editor’s note) from Norway? They called him the golden replacement. Do you know what it is? – Roman Rotenberg
We won’t make any hiding places. This statement seems much more like a lame excuse than an actual game plan.
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