Ivan Demidov gives bold answer on Canadiens future after ugly playoff exit against Hurricanes
Ivan Demidov gave Martin St-Louis the kind of answer every coach wants to hear in June.
The young Canadiens winger said he wants to stay in Montreal as long as possible, and that matters far beyond a feel-good quote.
This wasn't empty offseason talk. It sounded like a player already picturing his place in the room, on the power play, and in the middle of a real Cup window.
Demidov also pointed to his talks with Lane Hutson and made it clear he sees something building here. That's the part Montreal fans will grab onto.
Demidov leans in, smiles, and answers the long-term question like the idea has already crossed his mind more than once.
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That changes the tone around his future right away. When a gifted young forward openly says he wants to stay, the market noise cools off and the team gains leverage.
St-Louis should love that. Coaches spend years trying to build buy-in, and Demidov just handed Montreal a public sign that he believes in the plan.
A big signal for Montreal's core
The timing stands out too. Montreal just finished with 106 points, so this isn't a rebuilding sales pitch anymore. The Canadiens are already pushing toward something bigger.
Demidov's own season backs up the optimism. He put up 62 points, which gives real weight to anything he says about where this group is headed.
Then there's Hutson.
He finished with 78 points from the blue line, and Demidov bringing him up tells you how young stars inside the room are reading the same map.
That matters for Kent Hughes and the front office, even if no deal is on the table today.
A player saying he wants term in Montreal is the kind of public stance teams remember.
Seems itchy to get it done and not have to worry about it."
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It also hits the fan base at the right moment. The Canadiens aren't selling hope from the basement anymore.
They've got a young top end, a coach players buy into, and a winger saying he wants to be part of it for years.
Nothing gets signed off one interview.
But Ivan Demidov just gave Montreal a pretty loud message, and the Canadiens would be smart to treat it like the opening move of a much bigger conversation.
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YESTERDAY
MAY 29, 2026
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| G | A | PTS | ||
| Taylor Hall | 1 | 2 | 3 | |
| Logan Stankoven | 1 | 2 | 3 | |
| Jackson Blake | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Seth Jarvis | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Cole Caufield | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Shayne Gostisbehere | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Eric Robinson | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Sebastian Aho | - | 1 | 1 | |
| William Carrier | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Nikolaj Ehlers | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Lane Hutson | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Alexander Nikishin | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Andrei Svechnikov | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Frederik Andersen | - | - | - | |
| Josh Anderson | - | - | - | |
| Zachary Bolduc | - | - | - | |
| Alexandre Carrier | - | - | - | |
| Jalen Chatfield | - | - | - | |
| Kirby Dach | - | - | - | |
| Phillip Danault | - | - | - | |
| COMPLETE STATS | ||||