Ivan Demidov News: Gets massive payday

Demidov signed an eight-year, $73 million contract extension with the Canadiens on Wednesday, Chris Johnston of The Athletic reports.

Demidov still has one season remaining on his entry-level contract, so his new deal won't begin until the 2027-28 campaign. The 20-year-old had 19 goals and 62 points in 82 regular-season appearances with Montreal as a rookie in 2025-26. The Canadiens are taking a risk by handing out a massive payday to a player who has just completed his first full NHL campaign, but Demidov has the potential to make that contract look like a huge steal. Montreal similarly locked up Nick Suzuki, Cole Caufield and Juraj Slafkovsky to long-term deals, which gives them an amazing young core of forwards who all come with an annual cap hit under $10 million -- Demidov is the only one of that forward group above $8 million. With the cap likely to increase, Montreal's willingness to be aggressive in locking up its young talent could put the franchise in a very strong position.