There will be “negotiations” between representatives of the Montreal Canadiens present in Russia and the St. Petersburg SKA today regarding Ivan Demidov.
At least that’s what SKA head coach Roman Rotenberg told Russian journalists on Tuesday after his team’s match attended by Kent Hughes and Vincent Lecavalier.
“They showed respect by coming to us and flying halfway around the world. Tomorrow we will have negotiations,” he said in comments reported by the Russian media MatchTV.
“We will discuss how Ivan Demidov is developing and how to improve his progress,” Rotenberg also added.
What kind of “negotiation”?
Obviously knowing that the organization managed to make the trip to Russia and, in addition, that there will be “negotiations”, is enough to excite CH supporters who dream of seeing the fifth overall pick land from the last draft in Montreal.
Moreover, the term used in Russian according to MatchTV, “peregovory”, does indeed mean negotiation or parley.
But does that mean that Hughes and Lecavalier will return to Montreal with a brand new Demidov in their suitcases? It’s not that simple.
Clearly, CH is not happy with how things are going for the young Russian with his KHL team using him sporadically – and sometimes not at all – even though he dominated offensively at the start of the season. Colleague Nicolas Cloutier revealed a few weeks ago that Demidov’s desire to make the jump to North America next year and, thus, his refusal to sign a contract extension with the SKA, could explain his questionable use.
Discussing the best way to continue the development of the young attacker before he joins the CH also falls into the “negotiation” or “talk” category.
Buy out your contract?
Especially since Jeff Gorton mentioned in October in an interview with the Antichambre that the team could not simply buy out his contract in Russia and bring him to North America.
“Everyone thinks you can buy out your contract but that’s not realistic. He has one year left on his contract. We are excited about this player and we have seen his ice time drop. We are in contact with the organization and they know how we feel,” mentioned the man who also took a trip to Russia in October with co-director of recruitment, Nick Bobrov.
Remember that there is no longer an agreement between the KHL and the NHL since 2022.
In 34 games this season, Demidov has scored six goals and collected 14 assists for 20 points.
Related News :