Kent Hughes Delivers Message on Ivan Demidov That Canadiens Fans Might Not Want to Hear
In an interview with the NHL's official website, Kent Hughes thought it best to warn Canadiens fans regarding Ivan Demidov's first full season..
Unless you've been living under a rock, you know there's a new offensive star in town. But even though Demidov collected two points (one goal, one assist) in two regular-season games and two assists in five playoff games, we'll probably need to temper our expectations.
Although the young man seems to have the right attitude, it's very likely that some projections for his production next season are exaggerated.
Fans' expectations for Ivan Demidov are huge maybe too much, according to Kent Hughes
Not only are fans' expectations huge, but the young man's own expectations are as well. The Canadiens' GM is trying to ease the pressure on Demidov, reminding him that he shares the burden with other players.
"In Ivan's case, what's going to benefit him is there's a whole slew of other players on our team that our fan base has all kinds of expectations for," Hughes said. "'Suzy,' they want him to be the first player in however long to get 100 points.. They want Cole Caufield to get 40 goals. They want Lane Hutson to do something. They want 'Slaf' to take that next step. So I feel like in that regard, they have expectations for a whole set of really young hockey players that are in our market. I feel like it's a little bit different than other players that may arrive in a market where they're now going to be the savior."
The objective is the progression of the entire team to bring the Canadiens back into Stanley Cup contention, knowing full well that it's only going to get harder.
"Most young hockey players come into the League trying to prove to themselves, prove to their families, prove to their doubters that they're good enough and they're capable of this or that, and they're very focused on their careers," Hughes said. "And then as they gain confidence that they belong and they are this, there's a subtle shift to trying to win.
"And once they taste that, whether they get all the way to the Stanley Cup or something close, they continue to chase it and it becomes so much more of an obsession for them than any statistical accomplishments, be it 100 points or 40 goals, or things of that nature. So our message really has been to the young group, don't wait too long to take ownership."
"And once they taste that, whether they get all the way to the Stanley Cup or something close, they continue to chase it and it becomes so much more of an obsession for them than any statistical accomplishments, be it 100 points or 40 goals, or things of that nature. So our message really has been to the young group, don't wait too long to take ownership."
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