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Montreal Canadiens Rookie Ivan Demidov Sets Sights on Records
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- Montreal Canadiens Rookie Ivan Demidov Sets Sights on Records
Eric Bolte-Imagn Images
The season is unfolding rather well for Montreal Canadiens rookie Ivan Demidov .
The 19-year-old forward has managed to score four goals and eight assists, putting him on pace for a 75-point, prorated 82-game season.
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If he maintains his impressive scoring rate, he will set a new record for the most points by a rookie in Canadiens franchise history, surpassing Kjell Dahlin (71 pts), Mats Naslund (71 pts), Lane Hutson (66 pts), Guy Lafleur (64 pts), and Chris Chelios (64 pts).
The most notable change in Demidov's usage has been his addition to the team's first powerplay unit, which instantly led to very encouraging results.
It's not often a coach will toss a rookie with fewer than 20 games of NHL experience in that situation, but Demidov is not your ordinary first-year player, and Martin St-Louis is not your ordinary coach. His handling of Hutson the previous year is a great example of St-Louis' affinity for relying on young players overflowing with talent.
Ivan Demidov At 5v5
While keeping his early-season usage on the second powerplay unit in mind, Demidov is currently averaging 2:15 in man-advantage ice time, essentially absorbing Patrik Laine's minutes in the process. Expect that number to rise as the season unfurls.
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However, St-Louis has hesitated to overload the rookie at 5v5, as evidenced by his relatively low average ice time of 10:48, placing him among the least used players on the team. Zach Bolduc (10:49), Joe Veleno (10:56), and Josh Anderson (11:22) are all currently enjoying more average TOI than Demidov.
Thus, the simple solution is to give Demidov's line more shifts at 5v5, but St-Louis' hesitancy to do so is probably tied to the line's underlying numbers, which are far from encouraging.
Without trying to remove any credit for his early-season scoring bonanza, it's become rather clear that Oliver Kapanen is overwhelmed at times, a perfectly normal situation for a first-year player who doesn't necessarily possess the same elite skill set as Demidov.
To give you an idea, at 5v5, Demidov, Kapanen, and Alex Newhook are controlling a little over 40 percent of the shots and expected goals.
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In other words, they're getting outplayed by their opponents on most nights, connoting a change is necessary.
Looking For Options
Stating a team needs to put together a better line is much easier said than done. St-Louis is dealing with limited options, especially among the centres.
In that vein, Kirby Dach's recent resurgence, including his two-goal effort on Tuesday night, could be a sign that he's starting to regain his form from previous seasons.
Dach's line, which featured Bolduc and Brendan Gallagher, was the only combination that managed to tread water versus the Philadelphia Flyers, a situation that took on more importance than usual, because the first line did not enjoy their usual dominant performance.
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This speaks to the pressing need to find more combinations that can drive the offence at 5v5, bringing us full circle to Demidov's usage.
It also hits on Bolduc's impact the very moment he's no longer used in a fourth-line role. With all due respect to St-Louis, Bolduc's demotion did not make much sense, and a return to the top six is likely in order.
By promoting Bolduc and Dach to Demidov's line, you could argue that all three players would be in a healthier situation at 5v5, which would inevitable give the Canadiens better odds of winning on a nightly basis.
All Montreal Canadiens and Ivan Demidov statistics are 5v5 unless otherwise noted, via Natural Stat Trick .
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