A new law changes the status of Ivan Demidov
With a year left on his contract in his country, Ivan Demidov might finally arrive in Montreal as early as this year.
As reported by Samuel Doiron, the Russian Hockey Federation and the KHL have jointly announced significant changes in the way some Russian players are transferred to the National Hockey League (NHL).
In a sense, there is greater flexibility in agreements between KHL and NHL teams to allow a player to join the best league in the world. Essentially, this could impact the fate of the young prodigy Ivan Demidov.
It will be much easier to bring Ivan Demidov to the Montreal Canadiens
According to Hockey News Hub, the KHL will now interact directly with the Ministry of Sports, gaining a lot of independence in its decisions.
The KHL will continue to honor NHL contracts, and players who want to transfer between leagues will no longer have to wait days to obtain an IIHF transfer card. They will no longer be dependent on the international department of the FHR or other national federations. They will be free to make their choice in a certain way!
At the same time, the league will not register new contracts for hockey players who have valid contracts with other clubs or unfulfilled obligations, as well as other circumstances preventing the signing of a new contract.» - Hockey News Hub
Essentially, from now on, a team wanting to transfer a player from the KHL to the NHL can do so much more easily and with fewer delays. Financial agreements to compensate the Russian club will likely also be part of the considerations.
From what we know, Ivan Demidov has expressed interest in quickly playing in the NHL in North America. We can assume he will ask St. Petersburg to transfer his rights to the Canadiens soon.
Practically, this offers a bit more freedom to players who want to make the jump to the NHL. Additionally, Russian owners will be able to negotiate transfer fees, similar to European soccer. How much would Ivan Demidov's freedom be worth to play with the Canadiens in 2024-2025?
That's an excellent question! Geoff Molson might be tempted to negotiate with the owner of SKA, but he could also wait a year and get the rights to the drafted player for free. This is part of the considerations in the negotiation process.
This is excellent news for Kent Hughes and Canadiens fans eager to see Ivan Demidov play in Montreal.
If his KHL team decides to send him to the VHL, as some rumors suggest, expect the Canadiens to intervene and try to bring Demidov over as early as the 2024-2025 season, potentially playing on a second line with Dach and Newhook.
A situation to follow!
Credit: HABSolumentFan
La KHL annonce des changements importants qui pourraient avoir un impact sur Ivan Demidov
| POLL | ||
Where Ivan Demidov will start the next season? | ||
| KHL (SKA St-Petersburg) | 174 | 47.7 % |
| VHL (SKA-NEVA St-Petersburg) | 16 | 4.4 % |
| NHL (Montreal Canadiens) | 138 | 37.8 % |
| AHL (Laval Rocket) | 37 | 10.1 % |
| List of polls | ||
