WHY Ivan Demidov Deserves MORE Ice Time | The Montreal Canadiens

WHY Ivan Demidov Deserves MORE Ice Time | The Montreal Canadiens

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There he is. Marco Demo from Parts Unknown today. Where do we have the pleasure of hooking up today, my man? What’s good? Ah, I’m sank home up north. Very, very far. How pretty are the I mean, this is me getting older. I’m going to ask you about the leaves. How How pretty are the leaves? This is me getting older. Ancient. Uh, no, it looks really good up here. I mean, the the colors are great. Um, you know, it’s always good to get away uh to a to a cottage up north if you don’t have one already, or you could rent one. It’s always good to get away this time of year. Well said. I hope you’re enjoying it. You and the family uh taking some relaxation time as the grind of the Montreal Canadian season is on and on in a big way as we near the second half of the month of October. And let’s talk about number 93 who grows and grows in confidence in my eye. I’m sure in yours as well in each passing game, but is it enough? Can they get more or is this managed well by Mart St. Louis? your impressions here as we go through the Montreal Canadians on this game day. The Habs and Buffalo Sabres at 7:30 uh tonight. Take note of that start time. Montreal and Buffalo at 7:30. The Sabres starting to cook a little bit here coming off a nice shutout win on Saturday. But uh let’s talk about your early impressions before we dive deep on Ivon Deidov so far. Marco, I mean I like the progression that we’re seeing. Um, this is a player that hasn’t necessarily been asked to be physical in general, that has just taken the initiative to use his body more and more to separate, you know, opponent from puck and to create some time for himself. His uh shiftiness along the boards is really starting to become an elite quality of his. Just being able to to shift guys out with the with the cycling and the rotation, like for a player that skilled to be able to play that kind of game, it was extremely well for his NHL career. just terms of being able to, you know, create space for himself and and to create, you know, plays for his teammates. Many many plays we saw throughout the last two, three games, you know, have just been the fact, you know, due to his shiftiness, due to the way that he thinks the game and honestly just consistently every single game, you see him just getting better. Well, let’s get into it. You know, after six games again on this game day, Dito has a goal and three assists for four points. As it stands right now, he’s fourth on the team in scoring on a team, Marco, that right now has 21 goals, four. That’s the fourth highest total in the National Hockey League. But yet, when you dive a little bit deeper into the numbers, you know, it’s about earning, right? Does he deserve? To me, it’s more about earning. Um, six forwards average more ice time than Didov does. First line member Uri Slowski, who scored a nice goal on Saturday night to get the party started, averages four more minutes per game than number 93. I don’t want this to come across as a Slavosski versus Demidov debate here, but for a team that’s scoring goals for a forward that is fourth on the team in scoring, I think we’ve we’ve come to the point in the schedule, and again, only a handful of games deep, Marco, but to me, he’s earned more ice time. your read. Well, I think the difference between Slipkovski and Denidov is quite honestly just that one plays on power play wave number one and the other one plays on power play wave number two. You have the first wave plays between a minute and a minute and a half compared to the second wave that plays between 30 seconds to 45 seconds. Right? So, right there and then there’s a 45se second to minute difference per power play. Uh if you look at last night, I believe the Canadians had two power plays. uh three if if I’m not mistaken. Uh that’ll make your difference right there. So it becomes a question of you know the fact that they’re used evenly in five on five and I thought you know the uh Deidv Capan and uh New Hook line actually was the best five on five line for the Canadians on Saturday night and analytically and from the eye it test. It’s just they couldn’t connect and Jonathan Quick robbed Ivan Denitov a couple of times as well in the slot. So, I thought they were finding their mojo, but I I continue to state this and I think uh you know, Mark Tang Singoi kind of you kind of saw glimpses of it at the end of the game, but I really do feel like now that there isn’t a cohesion on line two or three. I would very much like to see it five on five a more dangerous setting for a guy like Deid Dov where he could play with maybe an Alex New Hook uh you know or and the guy I’ve been pushing since the beginning Zachary Bzuk. Yeah, exactly. And it also I mean it also points to what is still and we’re going to talk about this uh later this week. So make sure you subscribe and like and send notifications to the Star and De Mo show. We’re going to talk about the obvious glaring hole that remains. The lack of a bonafide consistent 2C in the aftermath of the Montreal Canadians losing three guys for Saturday night. The worst case is Kate and Goully out four to six weeks with an LBI. Uh Doc and Line A remain dayto day. So stay tuned as we dive deep into the lack of a 2C and what that timeline is a little bit more pressed. But further on Demidov, right, fourth on the team in shooting percentage, right? How do you think Martinez St. Louis has handled him? You brought up a money point about the power play usage and everything else. I mean, you go online, man. Every fan that pays attention to every minute of this game this season. Everybody sees the same thing. What do you think? I’m going to ask you to do a dangerous thing. Get into the head of Martine St. Louis. What do you think he sees when he’s out there managing the a lotment of ice time? I mean, you want to go with your guys, the guys that already had got you to this dance, that got the organization to where they’re at, but at the same time, you want to bring on this guy who has the potential to be the most talented player on the team. No kidding. So, you have to balance that, right? And if you look back to the way that he handled Lane Hudson, it was the same thing last year. second power play wave, second well, he started getting some minutes because of, you know, injury and and and situation, but Lane Hudson really only started getting the full push of Martinez St. Louis approval by mid November. I feel like that’s probably what’s going to happen with Deitov is like they’re just want to ease him in the first month and then you you really take off and you give them all the minutes and you give him the first power play wave and this and that. to me. I mean, look, Ivan Demidov is dangerous on whatever wave you put him on. And I didn’t think it was by chance that that beautiful cross ice pass to Nick Suzuki that resulted in a one-time goal for him, his first of the season. Like, that’s exactly what Demidov can do from the right circle. And that’s what we’ve been talking about since the very beginning is, you know, he is a much better fit at the right circle than your iceki. And I feel like Nick Suzuki in this situation would be a much better fit in the in the bumper than a guy who’s also really good in the bumper in Zachary Balzuk. And then you have Cole Cawfield on the other side. I think that that would complete that power play. Get Denid off the minutes that he needs and then Balzuk could be the main trigger guy along with Patrick Lion and Noah Dobson on the second wave and you can bump Kirby Doc when he comes back to to health to the right circle on the second wave. And I think at that point everybody’s in the right chair. You know, some good points there because again, I’m going to take you back to average time on ice, right? I mean, obviously you’ve got the three beasts on the blue line, Mat Hudson, and Dobson leading the way in average ice time per game. Then there’s the captain. Then there’s Kaden Ghoulie. Well, now he’s hurt. Then there’s Cole Coughfield. And then there’s your iceky, Alex New Hook, Jake Evans, Zachary Bulldook. All averaging more ice time per game. And you know, when you outline the power play and perhaps the uneven split here through six games, the short-handedness of Jake Evans of um Alex New Hook also factor in. So I guess it does come down to how the coaching staff is going to manage Deidov and and maybe it is like the point you’ve been making and a lot of people in the chat last week. A lot of people want to invest, Marco. They want you to get a whiteboard. They want you to start drawing things up because, you know, the other point you brought up here that I think most people that are watching can agree on is the passing ability, the board battles from Dimidov. And that just to me emphasizes, doesn’t it, Slowsky in front of the net and you’ve got Dimidov picking his partners in order to distribute the puck. I mean, how else can he gobble up more ice time because he’s earned it? I mean, at this point, just continue to play his game. I think, you know, defensively, you’re starting to see a little bit more implication from him, blocking passes. He’s good. He’s getting himself in good coverage situations. Um, in the neutral zone, making smart decisions. I don’t think he’s hurting this team in any way, shape, or form. In fact, his line was analytically the best five on five line on f on Saturday night against the Rangers. And I thought that, you know, it was more a question of chemistry and being able to follow. Like at the beginning, you thought that there was a a good amount of chemistry between him and Capan. Um, you know, that’s seemingly gone to the wayside a little bit and you see a little bit more uh actual um chemistry with Alex New Hook. You know, it’s just a question of being able to finish those plays, but they’ve been finding each other on the ice all all the time at five on five. So, I like that combo. Just a question of being able to to find someone to finish it. Whether that’s you New Hook playing center and and then Balzuk playing on the on the other side and you have a Bzuk New Hook uh Deidov line or you stick with Kaan, but you swap Bzuk for New Hook and you have a more defensive third line. You know, like there are combinations, especially now with with line A and Doc’s injuries. But when those guys go out, you know, I would assume that a guy like Didov would be the one to get the increased ice time. Turned out with Zachary Budik, who hasn’t been bad in any way, shape, or form. I don’t think he’s hurt the team. I think his intensity has been there, but we haven’t seen that scoring drive that we saw in the first couple of games that had everybody rejoicing over that trade uh real early. And I think that’s kind of normal in the sense that you got to find your identity. You got to find your your your footing. But the difference between Zachary Balzuk and Ivan Deidovv is Didov had seven games to do so last year. So he’s already familiar. He already knows. He’s already got chemistry with his teammates, some that he skated with all summer. So use that to your advantage early on this season. That that’s that’s the way I see it. And and then in in that sense and that you know that well you know I wouldn’t hold back in any way shape or form and I understand that Bzer was acquired to be that bumper player but you don’t have to force it onto the first wave just because he was effective in St. Louis in a different setup where Cole Cfield is not Rob Thomas feeding him. Right? It’s not the same scenario. It’s not the same setting. Um, you know, Lane Hudson is a different beast at the point. Uh, the whole system is different. So, I think you have to adapt accordingly. And, you know, for what you have in front of you, I think the Canadians are better off with a diamond formation. And that is where I think an Ivan Deidovv would be a beauty fit for them on the right circle. I mean, the skill the skill is undeniable. Um, you know, his twists and turns. I mean, he’s making NHL veterans, you know, NBA style, break ankles with how quick he maneuvers. And I remember in the summer months, you and I were talking about Demidov’s style of play and looking at NHL comps, and I know Demidov grew grew up being a huge Nikita Cucharov fan. I mean, you see the moves and I think I also see a very tough hockey player. Like, you know, sometimes we associate high-end skill with air quote soft or perimeter play. He has none of those things in the early blushes. I mean, that’s a pretty pretty fair read. I mean, this guy is I don’t want to say fearless, but he doesn’t shy away from the tough areas in the ice. And I really respect that about his game because again, it’s not something you often attribute to high-end skilled players, and he has the potential to be a very, very high-end skilled player at this league. Yeah, I um I think when he was told, you know, when we were talking through to him through RG throughout the entirety of the year last year, he was told really to expect physicality when he got to North America, and I think he took that seriously, which is is good to see, and it it speaks to his maturity. But, you know, this is a guy who is actively using his body to win one-on-one battles. This is a guy who is not shying away from the initial contact in a dump and chase situation. This is a guy who is using his body to properly protect pucks and retain possession in the neutral zone so that he can create, you know, passes and oddman rushes. Um, you know, it’s it’s really good to see because those are basic habits that you want to see from a young pro before you give them the ball. Yeah. And that’s why I believe that he earned he he should have it already because I find his game at five on five already quite polished for a rookie, especially for a winger that people thought, you know, wasn’t necessarily the best defensively. Well, yeah, he’s going to have some growing pains in that regard, but you know, and I I’m not saying this to be negative, but you know, you look at Cole Coughfield’s rookie season where he was called a uni-dimensional forward uh that all he could do was score. remember a lot of people used to say that um and you look at him today. Well, I think Ivan Deidovv is ahead of him in terms of his two-way ability uh in his rookie year uh and he’s younger. So, that that says everything you need to know about where I think Ivan Deidov’s game can go and the fact that he’s already getting the basics in out of the way that he’s excelling already in those kinds of situations. playing a cycle game as one of the most talented players on the team shows a willingness to buy into what Marte St. Louis is trying to do and shows a willingness to adapt to the role that he’s being given. That to me is elite hockey IQ and that’s why I always believe that the cream will rise to the top with players like that. So, it’s just a matter of time and when it does, everyone is going to say, “Well, I told you so.” Because yes, it is the obvious outcome, but there’s the behindthe-scenes stuff. There’s the in practice stuff that maybe fans don’t see where Martens would like to see him get a little bit more settled and I think I think at that point the ball will be given and he will be tasked with running the power play with Lane Hudson. It’s game day. Hey, the Montreal Canadiens wrap up their four-game home stand Monday against a little bit of a hotter Buffalo Saber team than the one that we saw right out of the gate that had scored a combined two goals and were looking non-existent and players already getting a little agitated at the lack of um anything really out of Buffalo coming off a big shutout win on Saturday night. And then the Canadians are off for four games out west to Western Canada, beginning Wednesday at Calgary, Thursday at Edmonton, Saturday at Vancouver, and then they wrap it up uh the following week at Seattle. And that reminds me to remind you how much we’re very muching how much we’re very much looking forward to meeting all of y’all at MLAN’s Pub, 1210 Peele Street, Wednesday this week with our live viewing party starting at 7:00 ahead of the Montreal Canadians and Calgary Flames. Something tells me Ivon Demitov is going to get a little bit more of a harder look as the Canadians move out west. You can follow Marco Demo and do read him all the time at rg.org. Marco, very much looking forward to Wednesday, our live show uh Wednesday night. And of course, we’re going to dig in to a a hot issue that is still there, the 2C and the need for one. Make sure to like and subscribe and we’ll see you Wednesday.

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Ivan Demidov is showing flashes of brilliance early in his rookie season — but has he earned more ice time? After six games, the Montreal Canadiens’ talented winger continues to impress with his skill, speed, and hockey IQ. Shaun Starr and Marco D’Amico break down Demidov’s performance so far, what Martin St. Louis might be thinking, and whether Demidov deserves a bigger role in the Canadiens’ lineup.

We also dive into how Demidov compares to other young NHL stars, what the analytics say about his minutes, and what it means for the Habs’ long-term rebuild.

🔴 Subscribe for more Montreal Canadiens coverage — game recaps, trade talk, and player analysis all season long.

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