We’ve spoken at length of Montreal Canadiens’ prospect Ivan Demidov’s ice time in the KHL. SKA St. Petersburg’s coach Roman Rotenberg maintains the right wing is getting the right amount of ice time for a developing player, blaming internal competition.
Related: Canadiens Prospect Still Seeing Limited Ice Time in KHL But Is A Hit With Nikishin
However, today, as SKA took on Amur Khabarovsk, a team that is dead last in the KHL’s Eastern Conference, Demidov was dressed but acted as the 13th forward and did not see a second of ice time.
In a 7-5 offensive festival, the Canadiens’ prospect probably could have put up some great numbers, instead, he was treated to a front row seat to the game. While the youngster knows he only had to bide his time until the end of his contract, it must be a frustrating situation for him.
Related: Canadiens: SKA’s Rotenberg Discusses Role and Development of Demidov
If they are not going to play him, why not allow him to terminate his contract as was done with Matvei Michkov? The Philadelphia Flyers leads all NHL rookies in points and has been very impressive so far. He has 17 points in 22 games, two points ahead Logan Stankoven and four more than Macklin Celebrini (who has only played 14 games thanks to the “injury ninja”).
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