Bob Hartley believes Demidov could have been picked ahead of Macklin Celebrini in the draft and explains why
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.
- 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.
- 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.
- TVA Sports
"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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SEPTEMBRE 7 | 829 ANSWERS Bob Hartley believes Demidov could have been picked ahead of Macklin Celebrini in the draft and explains why Who do you think will accumulate the most points in 3 years? | ||
| Macklin Celebrini | 208 | 25.1 % |
| Ivan Demidov | 621 | 74.9 % |
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