Demidov To Replace DeAngelo

There's never a dull moment with Montreal Canadiens' prospect Ivan Demidov. He spends his rookie season riding the Roman Rotenberg rollercoaster, playing up and down the lineup with different linemates, but thanks to Tony DeAngelo going back to the United States for family reasons, he will get to take part in the All-Star weekend on Feb. 8 and 9.

With SKA St-Petersburg terminating DeAngelo's contract by mutual agreement, the team created a space on the Bobrov division All-Star team and the KHL elected to fill it with the youngster. In 43 games, the right winger has gathered 32 points in what can only be described as limited ice time.

Related: Bowman's Thoughts On Demidov

With his team now 7th in the Western Conference, Rotenberg may just be forced to give more ice time to the youngster. The top eight teams in each conference qualify for the KHL playoffs. While there is still plenty of time left before the end of the regular season (March 23), every point will count until then and failing to qualify for the playoffs would be a disaster for SKA.

Yesterday, in the important match up with Severstal (a team with whom they were tied in the standings), Demidov saw just over 22 minutes of ice time and put up three points on the boards, a goal and two assists. Unfortunately, his efforts weren't enough and SKA lost 7-4.

Going forward, Rotenberg will need every bit of help he can find, especially with DeAngelo's departure. While the defenseman is not everyone's cup of tea so to speak, he did get results. In 34 games in the KHL, the controversial defenseman did gather 32 points.

Stay updated with the most interesting Montreal Canadiens stories, analysis, breaking news and more! Tap the star to add us to your favorites on Google News to never miss a story.

Follow Karine on X @KarineHains Bluesky @karinehains.bsky.social and Threads @karinehains

Bookmark The Hockey News Canadiens' page for all the news and happenings around the Canadiens