BROSSARD, Que. — This shouldn’t be a particularly hard decision for Ivan Demidov, even if it will be a life-altering one.

The 20-year-old is eligible to sign a new contract with the Montreal Canadiens come July 1, and given that the best deal he’ll get must be signed before the current collective bargaining agreement between the NHL and NHLPA expires and the new one kicks in Sept. 16, he shouldn’t lose much sleep during the negotiation.

After that date, players will only be permitted to sign for a maximum of seven years, while signing bonuses on their contracts will be capped at 60 per cent over the term of those contracts. But before it, Demidov can still extend for eight years and receive signing bonuses well north of 60 per cent. 

The incentive to take more of his money up front, and over longer term, should push Demidov to the table quickly. Especially as a 10.2c restricted free agent whose leverage is somewhat limited by not being eligible to sign an offer sheet with any other NHL club.

That Canadiens general manager Kent Hughes has already publicly stated that his interest aligns with Demidov’s should only help.

“There’s no doubt we see Ivan as a core player to the team,” Hughes said during his end-of-season press conference Monday.

“Ideally, we’ll sign him to a long-term contract,” Hughes added, to which Demidov responded an hour later by saying that’s what he wants as well.

“I like the city, I like the team, I like all the boys, and our management of our team is pretty good, so I’m good with that,” the Russian told reporters gathered around his dressing room stall. “I want to stay here, yeah.”

Since arriving in Montreal in April 2025, the fifth overall pick in the 2024 Draft has met extremely high expectations. He scored a goal and an assist in his NHL debut, gained five games of playoff experience thereafter, and then remained in the city for the summer and prepared himself to........

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