LAS VEGAS | When you think of Vegas, you obviously think of Celine Dion. Introduced as the Canadiens’ “number one fan” by Kent Hughes, the diva is the one who announced Ivan Demidov’s selection.
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With the bank of prospects overflowing with defensemen in his organization, it made sense for the general manager of the Canadiens to set his sights on an attacker. A 5-foot-11, 168-pound left-handed right winger, the Russian collected 60 points, including 23 goals, in 30 games with the MHL’s SKA-1946 St. Petersburg.
Demidov is said to be possibly the most dynamic and creative player in this auction. The fact that he plays in Russia and that it was more difficult to see him at work during the last season possibly caused him to slip to the Habs.
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“Everyone thinks differently. It’s harder when you can’t send your entire organization to see a player in person. It changes things a little, Jeff Gorton said Thursday when called for this pronouncement on Demidov. During COVID, things changed and we adjusted the way we look at players and we’re good at it. We have a good feeling about what is happening in Russia and we know people there.”
The Habs staff therefore chose to trust a product of Russia after ignoring Matvei Mitchkov last year.
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“They are two different players. We’re trying to find the best player possible and that’s what we’re going to do, said the executive vice-president of hockey operations. The situations of these two players are not linked and that will not change much in our decision tomorrow.
Watch his interview with Renaud Lavoie wearing the CH jersey in the video below.
