MONTREAL – The Canadiens' best move ahead of the 2024 NHL Draft might have been the one they never made.
When Kent Hughes and Jeff Gorton were noticeably absent in Fort Lauderdale a week before the Draft, speculation ran wild. However, it was all part of Montreal’s strategic play, employing reverse psychology to help land a coveted, five-star prospect that was largely hidden behind smokescreens in Russia last season.
That prospect, of course, is Ivan Demidov.
Demidov, the ‘clear consensus No. 2 choice’ per TSN’s scouting panel. Demidov, the ‘most singularly skilled prospect in this year’s Draft,’ according to Elite Prospects. And Demidov, the player the Canadiens selected fifth overall at the 2024 NHL Draft at Sphere in Las Vegas on June 28.
“For those wondering why we didn’t go to Florida, it’s because we didn’t want to expose to what extent we were interested [in Demidov],” Hughes revealed following the first round of the Draft. “We didn’t need to interview him.
Translation: The Russian winger was, pardon the Vegas pun, always in the cards for Montreal’s brass.
“We knew of Demidov last year,” the Habs general manager told reporters. “Before we made our pick last year, we were already pretty excited about this guy, depending on where we ended up in the standings.”
Demidov’s future in Montreal incubated over a year, but with so many variables in play it was never a guarantee. Then the Canadiens won the fifth-overall pick at the NHL Draft Lottery and the plans to land the 18-year-old were hatched.
It wasn’t until the Columbus Blue Jackets named Cayden Lindstrom as the No. 4 overall pick that the Canadiens could once-and-for-all hit the Demidov jackpot. And when they did, the theatrics followed.
Celine Dion was invited on stage to announce her hometown team’s pick, lending her Grammy Award-winning voice to the moment as she called Demidov’s name, welcoming him as the newest member of the organization.