- The Canadiens will be without one of their top young forwards for the next few weeks
- Demidov never missed a game during his rookie season
- Read below for the timeline, the lineup shuffle and video of his last goal
Montreal just lost one of its best young weapons to start the season.
The Canadiens announced Tuesday morning that Ivan Demidov will miss two to four weeks with a lower-body injury:
Word came down shortly after Demidov failed to show for the morning skate ahead of tonight’s home opener against Carolina. He also sat out Monday’s practice for what the team called a therapy day.
Montreal didn’t say how or when he got hurt. Demidov finished Saturday’s 6-5 overtime loss in Pittsburgh, and he was a big part of the comeback, tapping in the tying goal with 44 seconds left to cap a rally from 5-1 down.
Check out the goal:
That gave the 20-year-old a goal and an assist through two games. Tuesday will be the first game he’s missed since becoming a full-time NHLer.
Durability was never an issue during his rookie year. Demidov played all 82 games, led every first-year player with 62 points (19 goals, 43 assists) and was a Calder Trophy finalist. He added nine more points in 19 playoff games as Montreal made it to the Eastern Conference Final.
Treatment days have popped up a few times this fall. He also skipped a practice during training camp in late September, and Martin St. Louis said then that he wasn’t concerned.
Kirby Dach moved up to fill the hole on the second line at the morning skate, lining up with Alex Newhook and Juraj Slafkovsky. Florian Xhekaj slid into the lineup alongside Josh Anderson and Jake Evans.
It’s a big loss for the Canadiens’ forward group, as we pointed out when the news broke:
None of this changes Demidov’s long-term future in Montreal. He signed an eight-year, $73.2 million extension on the first day of free agency, and it kicks in next season with a $9.15 million cap hit.
The Habs host the Hurricanes tonight in a rematch of last spring’s Eastern Conference Final, and they’ll do it without No. 93.
