Former NHL legend and recently appointed SKA St. Petersburg coach Igor Larionov made some waves in his first official press conference as reported by RG.org [https://rg.org/news/hockey/igor-larionov-wants-to-bring-ivan-demidov-back-to-ska-from-montreal]. The man who took over from Roman Rotenberg said he wants to bring Ivan Demidov back to the KHL for one more season. The 19-year-old forward finished the last year of his contract with SKA in April before signing an ELC contract with the Montreal Canadiens [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/montreal-canadiens]. Still, the bench boss say he would love to speak to the organization to plead his case. Canadiens: Where To Watch Demidov And Laine This Summer [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/montreal-canadiens/latest-news/canadiens-where-to-watch-demidov-and-laine-this-summer] Former Canadiens Player Enters Colorado History Book [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/montreal-canadiens/latest-news/former-canadiens-player-enters-colorado-history-book] Canadiens: Pascal Vincent Is Not Leaving The Organization [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/montreal-canadiens/latest-news/canadiens-pascal-vincent-is-not-leaving-the-organization] Saying he knows both Kent Hughes and co-director of scouting Martin Lapointe, the former centerman explained that if he could talk to them, he would say that sometimes in life you have to take a step back to move three step forward. While Larionov may well believe this would be good for the youngster’s development, there’s no way the option would even be entertained by the Canadiens. Montreal played by the rules and let the youngster honor the last year of his contract with SKA, but he’s now under the Habs’ control and needless to say the team has big plans for him. After making his NHL debut in two regular season games, the youngster played five playoffs’ games with the Habs and has already showed that he belongs. Still, the winger is serious about becoming an impact player for his new side and he’s decided to spend the Summer in town where he’ll be able to train under the watchful eye of the Canadiens’ staff while also polishing his language skills in both French and English. That kind of program is not at all compatible with Larionov’s wish and while he may dream of getting to work with as talented a youngster as Demidov, it will remain just that, a dream. Photo credit: Eric Bolte-Imagn Images -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Canadiens stories, analysis, breaking news, and more! Tap the star to add us to your favorites on Google News [https://news.google.com/publications/CAAqBwgKMK-q0gsw7sXpAw/sections/CAQqEAgAKgcICjCvqtILMO7F6QMwo-DfCA?hl=en-CA&gl=CA&ceid=CA%3Aen], never to miss a story. Follow Karine on X @KarineHains [https://x.com/KarineHains] Bluesky @karinehains.bsky.social [https://bsky.app/profile/karinehains.bsky.social] and Threads @karinehains [https://www.threads.net/@karinehains]. Bookmark The Hockey News Canadiens' page [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/montreal-canadiens/] for all the news and happenings around the Canadiens.
