NHL insider excited for 'electrifying' Ivan Demidov vs. Alex Ovechkin faceoff in Stanley Cup playoff

NHL insider Elliotte Friedman shared his thoughts on a possible playoff matchup between Ivan Demidov and Alex Ovechkin during Thursday’s episode of the "32 Thoughts" podcast. Both players are from Russia, with one in the final years of his career and the other just starting out.

Friedman called the idea “electrifying” and said fans would enjoy watching them face off. The Montreal Canadiens could meet the Washington Capitals in the first round, and Friedman believes this matchup would be exciting for the league.

Friedman said Demidov’s move to North America happened quickly:

“Like as recently as the day before, you're texting people. You're asking people, where does it stand? And they're telling you don't think it's happening, or it's not going to happen, or we have no idea. And all of a sudden, it changed really fast.” [3:15]

Friedman added that Russian teams control the timeline since NHL clubs must respect KHL contracts.

Alexander Medvedev, chairman of the board for SKA St. Petersburg, told Russian media that a salary cap issue might stop them from keeping Demidov. Friedman isn’t fully convinced. He believes SKA realized they couldn’t keep him and didn’t want to make it harder than it needed to be.

"I'm not sure I'm buying that at all," Friedman said. "but he did talk about how the possibility of the first round matchup of Ovechkin and Demidov, if Montreal plays Washington, was appealing for them to see."

On Wednesday, Canadiens general manager Kent Hughes announced that the team had signed Demidov to a three-year, entry-level deal. The contract will run from the 2024-25 season through 2026-27.

Demidov played 65 games for SKA this season and scored 19 goals with 30 assists. His 49 points set a new KHL record for most points in a season by a player under 20. He was also named Rookie of the Month three times and led his team in both assists and points.

Now that Demidov has joined the Canadiens, a playoff meeting with Ovechkin and the Capitals is possible. As Friedman noted, the chance to see them face off in the postseason has people excited.

"It's Montreal's win. It's hockey's win, because I think we all want to see this player... the City of Montreal like they are alive... They are absolutely electrified by what the Canadians are doing here," Friedman said.

On the other hand, Alex Ovechkin (895 goals) recently passed Wayne Gretzky to become the NHL’s all-time leading goal scorer. He has played his entire 20-season career with the Capitals and remains one of the league’s biggest stars.

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Wayne Gretzky joked about Rolls-Royce after Alex Ovechkin broke his NHL goal record

Alex Ovechkin became the NHL’s all time goal leader with his 895th goal against the New York Islanders on Sunday. He scored it from his usual power play spot, 26 seconds into the opportunity.

Hockey legend Wayne Gretzky appeared in a locker room video to congratulate him. He joked about gifts, saying he got a Rolls-Royce when he broke the record.

“When I broke the record, Mr. Leonsis got me a Rolls-Royce,” Gretzky said. “So I hope they get you something.”

He hoped Alex Ovechkin would get something too. Ovechkin laughed, and so did the players around him.

NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman replied:

“We’re gonna talk.”

Alex Ovechkin's goal was also his 325th on the power play. He matched Gretzky’s total games played at 1,487.