Leafs Could Be In Trouble As Potential Playoff Opponent Gets Major Lineup Boost

The Montreal Canadiens made a huge wave in the hockey world on Tuesday afternoon as they announced the team has signed fifth overall pick in the 2024 NHL Entry Draft, Ivan Demidov, to an entry-level contract.

The news was reported by Elliotte Friedman on X.

The team is currently working out the logistics of the deal and there has been no numbers or anything set yet for the deal.

If Demidov doesn't end up sticking around the NHL, his parent club; SKA St. Petersburg will retain his rights and he will head back overseas.

This season was a huge success for Demidov offensively, scoring 49 points in 65 games (19G, 30A), and managed five points in six playoff games for St. Petersburg.

It comes as a huge coup for the Canadiens to not only sign the highly touted prospect, but that he will immediately be slotted into action upon his arrival, and if Montreal gets hot; could find himself a huge reason as to why they end up sneaking into the playoffs.

It's actually a genuine shock that Demidov is coming over after several reports from both overseas and from GM Kent Hughes both stated that it was extremely unlikely that the forward would come over in 2024-25.

It's harkening back to the hype surrounding Alex Kovalev when he arrived in Montreal (though toward the end of his career) and the potential franchise-changing skillset Demidov brings is going to bring a lot of excitement to a team that's struggled heavily to stay relevant in recent years.

This spells bad news for the Maple Leafs, because not only is Montreal a team that can give them headaches on any given night, but Demidov being added to the lineup adds such an unknown into everything. We don't know how his play will translate, and it could end up torching the Leafs if they meet Round One.

Either way, it looks like we can't help but settle in for the next couple of decades and enjoy what Ivan Demidov is going to do. It may not be a good sign for Maple Leafs fans, but there's no arguing he'll have all eyes on him; rivals included.