Montreal was able to make a big move this week, signing their former top five pick Ivan Demidov after his KHL season ended. He has to acquire a visa to play here, so I wouldn’t count on any impact from Demidov this fantasy season, although he could end up playing in the playoffs against Washington, which would be incredible. Today, I’m going to take a deep dive in Demidov’s long term value for fantasy and how I’m going to project him going forward.
For the second straight draft, a Russian forward fell too far. First, it was Michkov because people thought he was going to be stuck in the KHL for at least two years, if not three. Turns out, Philly got him over after one year and he’s on the fast track to be a fantasy superstar as soon as next season. Last year, the Canadiens were fortunate to get Demidov at five after Columbus rejected multiple trade offers for the pick, only to select Cayden Lindstrom instead. That the Canadiens are getting Demidov to come over already is a massive win. This is an aside, but I think it’s become clear now that Russians should not be falling anymore in drafts.
I feel confident in saying that Demidov is the top drafted prospect in the world that was outside of the NHL until now. Obviously viewings are limited for Americans wanting to watch the KHL, but Demidov oozes offensive ability. He’s going to be a player that you always want the puck on his stick. He can beat players one on one with ease. Demidov has great side to side movement and while he’s not a burner, I think he will be a plus skater at the NHL level. His skill handling is instantly one of the best in the league. Demidov also has the ability to get his shot off with ease, and will shoot, then shoot again, and shoot some more. We’re talking a guy who could end up being 4+ shots per game and have a top five shot rate quite easily. He also doesn’t have defensive warts like Michkov does at this point in his career. He cheats a little to try and get a breakaway, but overall, Demidov is a strong forechecker with a NHL body already.
It’s lazy to compare Demidov to Kaprizov or Kucherov because they’re Russian. It also is asking a lot to expect a guy to reach that level before he’s ever played an NHL game. I would say my projected median outcome for Demidov is a guy who is around a point per game every season that pushes 300 shots on goal. Maybe that’s too lofty, but I think that highly of him. If everything works out, Demidov has the ability to reach that level. I see him more of a Pastrnak from a fantasy perspective than the other two guys, but regardless, we’re talking about a guy who can end up being a first round pick in fantasy drafts for years to come.
I know a lot of you do dynasties where Demidov is long gone. I also know a lot of you guys do keeper leagues that aren’t full dynasties. If you are in one of those leagues where you keep a certain amount of players without having minor leaguers, you need to grab Demidov immediately. He can completely change the outlook of your team in the long term. It’s far too early to say where I’ll rate Demidov next season, but it will almost certainly be in my top 100, and I predict that he’d be in my top 20 within 2-3 seasons.
I did a deep dive into Leonard, Perreault, and Snuggerud last week. I really like all of those players. Demidov is in a completely different class than all three of them, and that’s saying a lot. I would also have Demidov ahead of Misa and Hagens in this coming draft from a fantasy hockey perspective. If it wasn’t clear already, I’m completely all in on Demidov (the hockey player, not the poker player who fell off the Earth). I can’t wait to see him in the NHL.
That’s all for now guys. Feel free to ask any questions, leave any comments, or give any suggestions below. Best of luck to everyone still competing for their title, thanks for reading, take care!
