SKA St. Petersburg Wants To Bring Demidov Back To The KHL Next Season

It doesn't seem like that big of a problem, but SKA St. Petersburg wants to bring Ivan Demidov back to Russia and the KHL for the 2025-26 season instead of him playing for the Montreal Canadiens next season.

Demidov put up 19 goals and 49 points in 65 games for SKA this season before coming over to Montreal and scoring a goal and two points in the final two regular season games as well as two assists in five playoff games. He put on a show for the Canadiens fans and has a very bright future.

Wanting Demidov back in the KHL next season comes from Igor Larianov, but this very much seems like a hope and not a realistic option. Sure, Demidov played very well in the KHL, but being drafted as high as he did and immediately experiencing playoff hockey in Montreal with the fanbase extremely excited about seeing him doesn't seem like a recipe for losing the young star right after for a year.

Of course the KHL and teams in Russia want the best players to stay over there, but the league is second to the NHL. Many of the best players who are Russian all have the goal of playing in the top hockey league in the world, even while not speaking the language.

Demidov will likely see regular top-6 time on a team that appears to have gotten over the hump. I don't think he is turning back now after just arriving. If he continues to play the way he can and reach the heights many think he can, he'll make plenty of money in the NHL, learn the language pretty quickly, and be on a competitive team for years to come.