- Ivan Demidov signs an eight-year extension worth $73 million to stay in Montreal
- The $9.125M deal kicks in for 2027-28 and makes him the Canadiens’ highest-paid forward
- Read below for the full contract terms and the rookie season that earned it
Ivan Demidov isn’t going anywhere.
The Canadiens locked up their 20-year-old winger on an eight-year extension worth $73 million, agent Dan Milstein announced Wednesday. The deal carries a $9.125 million cap hit and kicks in at the start of the 2027-28 season.
Demidov still has one year left on his entry-level deal, so Montreal now has nine straight seasons of cost certainty on one of the best young players in the league. The new money makes him the highest-paid forward on the roster and the second-highest-paid player overall, behind Noah Dobson.
The contract includes $57.6 million in signing bonuses and a 10-team no-trade list in the final three years, per TSN’s Pierre LeBrun.
Demidov backed up the fifth-overall billing in a hurry. He put up 19 goals and 62 points in 82 games as a rookie, leading all first-year players in points and assists.
A second-place finish in Calder voting to Islanders defenseman Matthew Schaefer followed, along with a spot on the All-Rookie Team. The playoffs didn’t slow him down either, as he added three goals and six assists across 19 games.
Montreal grabbed him fifth overall in 2024 and got him into the lineup late that season, burning the first year of his entry-level deal. The bet already looks like a steal.
Habs fans got hooked fast. Here’s Demidov making magic during his debut run:
The Canadiens have their franchise winger signed through 2035.
