{"id":389651,"date":"2026-01-04T05:10:03","date_gmt":"2026-01-04T05:10:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/389651\/"},"modified":"2026-01-04T05:10:03","modified_gmt":"2026-01-04T05:10:03","slug":"will-canadiens-ivan-demidov-win-the-calder-trophy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/389651\/","title":{"rendered":"Will Canadiens’ Ivan Demidov Win the Calder Trophy?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Every Calder conversation eventually comes to the same question. Do you reward a rookie\u2019s impact, or do you reward his circumstance? What about his ice time, usage, and opportunity? The neatness of the spreadsheet versus what the old eye test keeps telling you. <\/p>\n

And that\u2019s where the Montreal Canadiens\u2019 young star Ivan Demidov<\/a> refuses to go away.<\/p>\n

Bottom Line? The Canadiens\u2019 Demidov Produces Points<\/p>\n

Demidov has scored 10 goals and 25 assists, and he\u2019s doing it in just a little over 15 minutes a night. Over 40 games, that\u2019s 72 points on pace\u2014a rare feat for a rookie these days. Not many rookies manage numbers like that. He\u2019s not getting top-line treatment. That\u2019s \u201cearn it every shift\u201d ice time. You don\u2019t stumble into those numbers by accident.<\/p>\n

Montreal isn\u2019t built around Demidov. Nick Suzuki<\/a> and Cole Caufield<\/a> still do the heavy lifting, while he lives in the shadows. He gets second power-play looks and short minutes where he\u2019s asked to make something happen. Then, back to the bench.<\/p>\n

\"DemidovIvan Demidov of the Montreal Canadiens is having a Calder Trophy-calibre season.<\/p>\n

Demidov Isn\u2019t a Franchise Saviour, Yet<\/p>\n

Now, the analytics crowd will tell you his on-ice impact doesn\u2019t scream \u201cfranchise saviour.\u201d Fair enough. His on-off numbers are solid, not earth-shattering. His Wins Above Replacement (WAR) sits just over 1.01<\/a>, which is excellent for a rookie forward, but not jaw-dropping. But here\u2019s the part those numbers quietly admit: you can only tilt the ice so much when you\u2019re playing 15 minutes a night. His usage doesn\u2019t favour his success.<\/p>\n

If Demidov were getting 18 or 19 minutes, first-unit power-play time, tougher matchups? That gap widens. Not because the numbers alone predict it, but because history shows players like him usually rise with more ice time. Players with this kind of touch usually don\u2019t plateau when you give them more rope. They pull.<\/p>\n

The Calder Trophy Is Only One Snapshot for an NHL Rookie<\/p>\n

The Calder isn\u2019t a lifetime achievement award\u2014it\u2019s a snapshot of a rookie\u2019s season. And right now, the snapshot shows a rookie who scores like a top-line forward while being treated like a middle-six apprentice. That matters.<\/p>\n

There may be another rookie having a generational year. That happens. But Demidov\u2019s case isn\u2019t about being louder\u2014it\u2019s about being relentless. He\u2019s forcing his way into the conversation shift by shift, despite the constraints, despite the depth chart, despite the conservative deployment.<\/p>\n

If the Calder is given to the player who did the most with what they were given, Ivan Demidov is in the conversation. Now voters need to recognize he\u2019s already arrived.<\/p>\n

Related: What Staios Really Said About the Senators\u2019 Goaltending<\/a><\/p>\n

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