Canadiens' Ivan Demidov out two to four weeks with lower-body injury

MONTREAL · The Montreal Canadiens announced Tuesday that forward Ivan Demidov will miss two to four weeks with a lower-body injury. The 20-year-old missed Monday's practice for what the team initially termed a therapy day. Demidov has recorded one goal and one assist through the first two games of the season. The team did not disclose how the injury occurred. Demidov previously missed practice time after blocking a shot with his foot during a pre-season contest against the Ottawa Senators on Sept. 21 in Trois-Rivières, Que.

Canadiens coach Martin St. Louis expressed confidence in the team's depth to handle the loss. "I don't think it impacts the way we're going to play, and if anything it gives opportunity to somebody else to make some plays and I feel like we have the depth for that," St. Louis said. "The way our lines are shaped, I think we have depth down all of them, and we can come in waves, and I'm confident that we can keep going, knowing that we lost a pretty good piece." With Demidov sidelined, Kirby Dach moved onto the second line alongside centre Alex Newhook and winger Juraj Slafkovsky. Forward Florian Xhekaj also drew into the lineup for Tuesday's home opener against the Carolina Hurricanes. The game was a rematch of last season's Eastern Conference final, which the Hurricanes won in five games on their way to capturing the Stanley Cup.

Demidov is coming off a standout rookie campaign where he led all first-year players with 62 points on 19 goals and 43 assists. His performance made him a finalist for the Calder Trophy. He also contributed nine points in 13 playoff games last spring as Montreal advanced to the conference final. The Canadiens selected Demidov with the fifth overall pick in the 2024 NHL Entry Draft.

During the offseason, the Canadiens secured Demidov with an eight-year contract extension worth $73.2 million, which carries an average annual value of $9.15 million. According to PuckPedia, Demidov is among a core group of players, including Nick Suzuki, Cole Caufield, Juraj Slafkovsky, Lane Hutson, Noah Dobson and Kaiden Guhle, signed through the 2029-30 season. Prior to his NHL career, Demidov played for SKA St. Petersburg in the Kontinental Hockey League during the 2024-25 season, posting 49 points in 65 games. The season before that, he tallied 60 points in just 30 games for St. Petersburg's junior team in the MHL. The Canadiens entered Tuesday's game with a record of 1-0-1, having beaten Toronto and lost in overtime to Pittsburgh.

With files from Sportsnet, The Globe and Mail and Daily Faceoff