We have an update regarding Montreal Canadiens prospect Ivan Demidov. The rumor has been circulating for a few days, but Roman Rotenberg has just confirmed it.

Ivan Demidov will be benched for the entire KHL playoffs, and at best, he will be used as the 13th forward.

Yes, we’re talking about their top scorer and best player.

However, as many experts are pointing out, this is actually good news because it proves that Demidov has refused all of their contract offers.

So, if Demidov continues to turn down their offers, the Montreal Canadiens could finally sign him within a few weeks!

Ivan Demidov punished by SKA: it proves he doesn’t want to sign a new contract with them

And if they don’t want to play Demidov in the playoffs, well, all the better for us-all the better for the Montreal Canadiens-since it eliminates the risk of injury.

“SKA coach Roman Rotenberg will essentially bench his team’s leading scorer Ivan Demidov as the 13th forward during the KHL playoffs.”

– HabsOnReddit

Indeed, Roman Rotenberg just stated in a press conference that Ivan Demidov will play in the playoffs as the 13th forward at most.

It’s a very poor decision on their part, if you ask me, but at this point, it’s great news for the Montreal Canadiens.

Demidov already had his development year!

He recorded 49 points in 65 KHL games this season, including 19 goals at the age of 19, so his development for this season is more than satisfactory.

And on top of that, SKA is likely to play only a few playoff games, as they really don’t have a strong team this year.

So at this point, 3 or 4 more games won’t significantly impact his development anyway.

Looking forward to Demidov’s arrival in Montreal!