Canadiens sign Ivan Demidov to eight-year contract extension
The Montreal Canadiens have reportedly agreed to terms on an eight-year contract extension with forward Ivan Demidov.
Demidov’s agent, Dan Milstein, was the first to share the news of the signing on Wednesday morning. The 20-year-old forward has one more season remaining on his entry-level contract and will then earn an average of $9.15 million per season for the following eight years.
In 82 games with the Canadiens during the 2025-26 regular season, Demidov collected 19 goals and 62 points. The Sergiyev Posad, Russia product added three goals and nine points in 19 playoff games with the club.
The Canadiens originally selected Demidov in the first round (No. 5 overall) of the 2024 NHL Draft.
Ivan Demidov. 9 seasons. Montreal Canadiens. He is staying. Ivan Demidov has agreed to terms on an 8-year extension at $9.150mm AAV. #GoHabsGo #WeAreGoldStar!
A product of the SKA St. Petersburg system in Russia, Demidov scored 19 goals and 49 points in 65 games with SKA in the 2024-25 season before coming over to North America at the end of the year. The 6’1″ winger scored a goal and an assist in his first two games with the Canadiens to conclude the 2024-25 campaign and added two assists in five playoff contests that spring.
Demidov’s new contract will take effect in the 2027-28 season and runs through 2035; according to Sportsnet’s Eric Engels, it includes a 10-team no-trade clause in the final three years. With one year left on his ELC, Demidov will earn just over $940,000 for the time he spends in the NHL in 2026-27.
The Canadiens now have Demidov, Nick Suzuki, Cole Caufield, Juraj Slafkovsky, Lane Hutson, Kaiden Guhle, and Noah Dobson each signed through at least 2030. They still have eight RFAs left to sign this summer in Kirby Dach, Brett Berard, Zack Bolduc, Arber Xhekaj, Sean Farrell, Jared Davidson, Hunter McKown, and Maksymillian Szuber; also, Oliver Kapanen, Alex Newhook, Jayden Struble, and Jakub Dobes are now eligible to sign extensions as of July 1.