"It was an event" - NHL insider shares hype around Ivan Demidov's first skate in Toronto, potential debut

Ivan Demidov skated in Toronto before his NHL debut with the Montreal Canadiens. Demidov will make his league debut against the Chicago Blackhawks on Monday, which Sportsnet's Eric Engels confirmed.

"Big day in Montreal. Ivan Demidov making his NHL debut and the Canadiens can clinch a playoff spot with a win over the Blackhawks." Engels tweeted.

NHL insider Elliotte Friedman spoke about Demidov's debut on the "32 Thoughts" podcast on Monday.

"Everyone was there, and there were way more media than players, about five times more," Friedman said. "There were four players on the ice and around 20 media members. Everyone had their phones out. There were cameramen from us and a couple of other stations."

Demidov flew to Toronto for work visa purposes. The Canadiens wanted him to get both Canadian and U.S. visas quickly. If Montreal makes the playoffs, it might start in Washington so Demidov needs a U.S. visa to travel. The U.S. Embassy in Toronto was the best option.

Demidov's skate in Toronto drew attention because fans knew he was there.

"So everyone knew he was in town, everyone knew he was going to skate — and it became one of those moments," Friedman said. "It wasn’t a massive event, but it was an event. Everyone showed up to see it. It was a moment and people just wanted to get a look at this guy. Right now, he's a curiosity. But Monday night? I think we’re going to see the real thing, and I’m excited."

Demidov will be playing on a line with Alex Newhook and Joel Armia, after signing his three-year $2.82 million contract on Tuesday.

Friedman previously reported that SKA allowed Ivan Demidov's move to NHL

Before joining the NHL, Ivan Demidov played for SKA St. Petersburg in the KHL. He scored 19 goals and had 30 assists in 65 games. His 49 points set a record for a U20 player in the KHL, passing Kirill Kaprizov's 42.

On Friday, NHL insider Elliotte Friedman said that SKA knew Demidov wanted to leave. They did not block his move and allowed it to happen without delay.

"When you realize you don't have the leverage, the question becomes, how difficult do you want it to be," Friedman said on Monday, via the '32 Thoughts' podcast. "It just sounds like here at the end of the day, they just decided that they weren't going to stop demagogues from going over now."

Fans are looking forward to his first game. Many are hoping that he will bring energy and scoring because his KHL stats show strong potential.