The NHL can’t wait for news to break on the situation around Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins. On that note, the Montreal Canadiens are making it clear a teammate of Patrik Laine is not up for grabs. Regardless of whether that actually costs the Habs their shot at the three-time Stanley Cup champion.
The Canadiens have chased Crosby for decades. Ever since he entered the league, Montreal has dreamed of him someday becoming available. Now, though far from being on the market, the odds of Crosby finally having enough of Pittsburgh are no longer zero. Around the NHL, that represents as much of a chance as teams have seen in ages for the talented center to switch addresses.
For the Canadiens, there’s enough reason to believe if Crosby ever wore a different jersey in the NHL, it’d be theirs. A Habs fan growing up, Crosby has never minced words about his respect for the organization and fanbase in Quebec’s Metropolis. Still, Crosby recently delivered a clear message on his future as speculation grows.
There aren’t many distances Montreal wouldn’t be willing to go to get its hands on one of the best players in NHL history. Or so we thought. As it turns out, the line has been drawn at one of Laine’s key teammates, Ivan Demidov.
“If the Penguins ask for Ivan Demidov, Montreal has to tell them to find a different package,” Jamie McLennan said on TSN’s OverDrive. “I think Demidov might be the Habs’ best player moving forward. They’ve got some great young players.”
The waiting game
Perhaps it’s nonsensical to ask, but Canadiens fans will have to wait. The Crosby-mania is out of control in the City of Saints, but it might be in vain this season. As several reports around the league have stated, Crosby is pretty much a lock to play out the 2025-26 NHL season in The Burgh.
“I also tend to believe that it’s not one that would happen in season, so I’m not expecting something this year,” Frank Seravalli admitted, via Bleacher Report’s Insider Notebook.
Moreover, the Penguins are already expected to part ways with Evgeni Malkin after this campaign. Crosby has mostly made up his mind to go for one last ride along his sidekick in the City of Bridges. He’s never been one to take back his statements, and he’s seemingly given his word to ‘Geno’.
Demidov’s numbers
Selected with the 5th overall pick in the 2024 NHL entry Draft, Demidov has appeared in just two regular season games. However, he’s made an immediate impact and has fans in Montreal anxious to watch him appear in a full campaign.
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So far, Demidov registers two career points (a goal and an assist), as well as two assists in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Having spent the first season of his three-year, $2.82M entry-level contract, the Habs will continue to have a big impact from Demidov at a very cheap price. However, GM Kent Hughes and the brass will want to get an extension signed for the Russian as soon as next summer if he keeps up his performance.