Canadiens top prospect and first-round pick getting mistreated in Europe: the team is stepping in

Canadiens top prospect Ivan Demidov isn't getting the ice time he deserves and is barely playing four minutes a game. The Habs are now stepping in.

One of the hot topics amongst the media this season has been Ivan Demidov's minimal ice time in the KHL. While performing decently, Demidov averages less than four minutes a game, which raises many fans' and analysts' eyebrows high. This looks indeed suspicious regarding how long his development can be suppressed if things go this way throughout the current season.

With these considerations, one may indeed wonder whether the Montreal Canadiens will want to make their move sooner rather than later to bring him back to North America. After all, the earlier Demidov comes in, the more an important development year is saved; if he is not used properly in the KHL, that would equate to lost time for his development. The potential move has brought up the debate over how the Canadiens might beat the rush before Demidov's development is damaged.

Jeff Gorton, the Canadiens' Executive Vice President of Hockey Operations, has stepped in and addressed questions pertaining to the possible move of Demidov to Montreal. While his comments are not definitive, they certainly remain positive in respect to an early arrival. He doesn't dismiss the situation but rather mentions communication between the Canadiens and Demidov's current KHL team, SKA, which should give hope to concerned fans of the young prospect's future in the organization.

It is difficult to stress how much Demidov means when he is on the ice. Just yesterday, another goal was scored by him, which stated one more time that even with limited minutes, he keeps on proving his value to the team. The fact that he keeps contributing one way or another shows the difference between his performance and playing time even further, fueling the speculations of bringing him to North America sooner.

While this is an encouraging statement from Jeff Gorton regarding bringing back Ivan Demidov, that should be taken with a grain of salt. Even if the Canadiens were looking into buying him out of his KHL contract, that's something Gorton is unlikely to admit to publicly. In that sense, at least, a message from management that the Canadiens are keeping a close eye on Demidov's situation, and his future with the team remains very much a priority.

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