Nov 5, 2026 11:51 AM
According to Montreal Canadiens Ivan Demidov's agent, Habs fans will need to be patient since it may be "a few more weeks or so" before the gifted Russian is back in the lineup.
On Wednesday night, Dan Milstein, Montreal Canadiens winger Ivan Demidov’s agent, appeared on the DFO Insider Podcast. While he mainly spoke about the hot topic of the week in the NHL, Nikita Kucherov’s relationship with the Tampa Bay Lightning, he also shed some light on the Demidov injury.
The agent confirmed that Demidov suffered a fractured ankle during the preseason and that he kept playing through the pain. Milstein explained:
He walked up to me after the first game of the season in Toronto. After the game, he walked up to me and said, “Hey, something is bothering [me]; something is not right.” And then he went out and played the second game, and so we did the MRI. As a matter of fact, a year ago I had the same issue with Artyom Levshunov of Chicago. Those young kids, they play through pain, and then we realized two weeks later that he had an issue that needed medical attention too. So hopefully Ivan will be back on the ice in a very short while, and he’ll help the Montreal Canadiens start winning some games.
Still, according to Milstein, his client is getting ready, and it will probably be a few more weeks or so before he’s back in the lineup. While this isn't the best news, we’ve seen Demidov progress over the last week. On Saturday morning at the Bell Centre, we spotted him walking in sneakers to the Canadiens’ dressing room after what looked like a session of ball hockey. Then, early this week, he was filmed skating carefully at the Bell Centre. The way he skated made it clear he wasn’t on the verge of returning.
His injury wasn’t an upper-body injury; he had to stay off the ice for four weeks, so it makes sense that he needs time to rehabilitate his ankle and won’t go full steam ahead right away. There’s no sense in rushing back and making matters worse. As things stand, the Canadiens are second in the Atlantic Division and sixth in the NHL; they can get by without the young Russian until he’s fully healthy. As for when that will be, we’ll have to wait for another update from the Canadiens to know for sure, but Milstein’s declaration that it will be a few more weeks makes perfect sense. Patience, Habs fans; you know Demidov is well worth the wait.
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