Reports of a long term contract for Ivan Demidov in Montreal

Ivan Demidov's first full NHL season with the Montreal Canadiens was nothing short of spectacular, and now both the player and the organization are making it abundantly clear that a long-term commitment is the next step. Speaking at their respective end-of-season press conferences on Monday, GM Kent Hughes and the 20-year-old Russian winger left little doubt that an extension is the top priority of the offseason, with both sides eager to get it done sooner rather than later.

Demidov, the fifth overall pick in the 2024 Draft, led all NHL rookies with 62 points (19 goals) during the regular season and added nine more points in 19 playoff games as Montreal made a thrilling run to the Eastern Conference Final before falling to the Carolina Hurricanes. He finished second in Calder Trophy voting behind generational Islanders defenseman Matthew Schaefer, and did it all while averaging just 15:30 of ice time per game and spending much of the season without a consistent top-six linemate beyond Juraj Slafkovsky.

Why the clock is ticking on this deal

The urgency surrounding Demidov's extension goes beyond the usual desire to lock up a franchise cornerstone. A new collective bargaining agreement between the NHL and NHLPA is set to take effect on September 16, and it will bring significant changes to how contracts are structured. Under the current CBA, players can sign extensions of up to eight years with signing bonuses that exceed 60 per cent of the total contract value. Once the new agreement kicks in, the maximum term drops to seven years and signing bonuses will be capped at 60 per cent.

That means Demidov, who becomes eligible to sign a new deal on July 1, has a strong financial incentive to get things wrapped up before mid-September. As a 10.2c restricted free agent, he cannot sign an offer sheet with another team, which limits his leverage somewhat. But the chance to secure an eight-year deal loaded with upfront signing bonus money should make the negotiation relatively straightforward.

Hughes acknowledged the alignment between the two sides during Monday's presser. "There is no doubt we see Ivan as a core player of our team," the GM said. "I would imagine I'll talk to his agent in the coming weeks. Ideally, we would sign him to a long-term contract rather than a short-term contract." About an hour later, Demidov echoed that sentiment from his locker room stall, telling reporters he wants to remain in Montreal for the long haul. "I like the city, I like the team, I like all the boys, and our management is pretty good, so I'm good with that," he said. "I want to stay here."

When pressed on whether his preference was to sign a long-term deal as quickly as possible, Demidov simply said, "Yeah."

A culture of team-friendly deals in Montreal

Demidov's willingness to commit long-term fits neatly into a pattern the Canadiens have established over the past several years. Nick Suzuki, Cole Caufield, Slafkovsky, Kaiden Guhle, Noah Dobson, and Lane Hutson have all signed extensions that prioritized term and team-building flexibility over squeezing every possible dollar out of negotiations. The result is a core group locked in at manageable cap hits, giving Hughes and president of hockey operations Jeff Gorton room to add complementary pieces around them.

Hutson's deal from last October is perhaps the most relevant comparison. The dynamic defenseman signed an eight-year, $70.8-million extension ($8.85 million per year) after his Calder Trophy-winning rookie campaign. That number came in well below what many expected, and notably under the $9.5 million per year that Dobson received after being acquired from the Islanders. Despite following up his rookie year with an even better sophomore season of 12 goals and 66 assists while posting a plus-36 rating, Hutson expressed zero regret about his contract on Monday.

"I wouldn't change a thing, honestly," Hutson said. "So fortunate that I was able to lock that up for a long time and be here."

Hutson and Demidov have become inseparable, pushing each other through offseason workouts, serving as road roommates, and constantly discussing ways to improve. Hutson has spoken openly about how Demidov's relentless work ethic elevates everyone around him. "Just being around him is so fun because it kind of brings more out of me," Hutson said. "He's gonna be dangerous for sure."

Captain Suzuki offered a similarly glowing assessment, calling Demidov a "team-first guy" who could develop into one of the premier wingers in the league. "He might've been one of the more pissed-off guys when we lost," Suzuki noted. "He's hungry. He wants it."

Using Hutson's deal as a baseline, projections suggest Demidov could land somewhere around $9 million per year on an eight-year term. With the salary cap set to rise to $113.5 million in the first year of any new deal and expected to balloon further over subsequent seasons, such a contract would likely represent a significant bargain for Montreal as Demidov continues to develop. Combined with the existing long-term deals already on the books, it would leave the Canadiens with substantial cap flexibility to pursue additional talent.

Demidov's instructions to his agent, Dan Milstein, were characteristically blunt when asked about the upcoming negotiations: "Just do your job. That's it." The job, he clarified, is to get the contract done as quickly as possible and for it to be as long as possible.

With both sides motivated and a CBA deadline creating additional urgency, all signs point to Demidov joining Montreal's growing list of core players committed to the franchise for years to come. As the young Russian put it himself, "This is a team that's going to win not only one Cup, but I think a couple more. That's my expectation."