Bob Hartley believes Demidov could have been picked ahead of Macklin Celebrini in the draft and explains why

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Elias Adaime
September 7, 2024 (10:28)

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The selection of Ivan Demidov by the Canadiens in the latest NHL draft satisfied many.

According to Bob Hartley, who coached in the KHL, the Habs were very fortunate to be able to bring the young Russian forward into their ranks.

During one of his recent segments on BPM Sports, Hartley stated that the Canadiens' prospect could very well have been chosen first overall in the draft.

Ivan Demidov ahead of Macklin Celebrini? A possibility according to Bob Hartley

The former head coach believes that if Demidov had received the same exposure as Celebrini, he would have been selected first overall. This suggests that Russia's ban from international competitions somewhat worked in the Canadiens' favor.

"Without belittling Macklin Celebrini, because I've seen him play and I love him, if Demidov had had the same spotlight as him, I wouldn't have been surprised to see Demidov go first."

- Bob Hartley

However, one shouldn't celebrate too quickly. According to Hartley, SKA will do everything in their power to keep the young player after this season.

"The KHL was created to compete with the NHL, and the Russian hockey brass doesn't like seeing top young players go to North America. So, will there be a charm offensive to try to sign him long-term? Don't be surprised. I'm not saying he will sign, but I'm convinced SKA Saint Petersburg will try hard."

- Bob Hartley

At the time, nothing indicated that SKA would attempt to retain the Canadiens' prospect. These discussions even showed a genuine spirit of collaboration between the two organizations.

"Everything indicates that Canadiens prospect Ivan Demidov will play in the KHL next season. CH and SKA Saint Petersburg officials held a virtual one-and-a-half-hour meeting in recent days to discuss the development plan for the fifth overall pick."

- TVA Sports

"I had a one-and-a-half-hour Zoom call with representatives of the Montreal Canadiens. Head coach Martin St-Louis wasn't present, but special advisor to hockey operations Vincent Lecavalier, the team president, the general manager, and all the executives were there."

"We discussed Demidov, everything was well covered. It was a very positive conversation about how we are going to develop Ivan at SKA. There wasn't even a conversation about him leaving for Canada now."

- SKA head coach Roman Rotenberg

It will be interesting to see if the Canadiens can convince the Russian team to let their young player go after the upcoming season. If the Flyers managed to negotiate Michkov's release from the KHL, there's no reason the Canadiens couldn't do the same.

Source: HABSolumentFan
Bob Hartley croit qu'Ivan Demidov aurait pu sortir devant Macklin Celebrini au repêchage

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