Canadiens Lose Rising Star Demidov to Lower-Body Injury Ahead of Hurricanes Rematch

The Montreal Canadiens will have to navigate the next stretch of their season without one of their most dynamic young forwards.

The club announced Tuesday that Ivan Demidov is expected to miss the next two to four weeks with a lower-body injury, after the 20-year-old did not take part in Monday’s practice, initially described by the team as a therapy day.

Key offensive piece sidelined

Demidov has opened the season with one goal and one assist through two games, continuing the strong offensive form that marked his debut campaign. The Russian winger led all NHL rookies with 62 points last season, recording 19 goals and 43 assists across a full 82-game schedule, and was a finalist for the Calder Trophy as the league’s top rookie.

Montreal selected Demidov fifth overall in the 2024 NHL Draft, quickly integrating him into a prominent role in the Canadiens’ attack.

Details on how the current injury occurred have not been disclosed. Demidov had previously missed practice time in the pre-season after blocking a shot with his foot in a game against the Ottawa Senators on Sept. 21 in Trois-Rivières, Que., but it has not been confirmed whether that incident is related to the present issue.

Coaching staff leans on depth

Canadiens head coach Martin St. Louis stressed that the team’s overall approach will not change in Demidov’s absence, pointing instead to internal depth and opportunity for other forwards in the rotation.

“I don’t think it impacts the way we’re going to play, and if anything it gives opportunity to somebody else to make some plays and I feel like we have the depth for that,” St. Louis said.

“The way our lines are shaped, I think we have depth down all of them, and we can come in waves, and I’m confident that we can keep going, knowing that we lost a pretty good piece.”

With Demidov unavailable, Kirby Dach stepped onto the second line, skating alongside centre Alex Newhook and winger Juraj Slafkovsky. Forward Florian Xhekaj entered the lineup ahead of Tuesday’s home opener, further underlining Montreal’s decision to spread responsibility across the forward group.

Lineup implications and forward hierarchy

Demidov’s absence removes a primary play-driver from Montreal’s top six, affecting both five-on-five combinations and the way the Canadiens can roll their lines. As a creative winger who produced at a high rate during his rookie year, he has been central to Montreal’s offensive transition game and power-play options.

In the short term, the shift places more emphasis on Dach and Newhook to carry possession and create chances on that second unit, while offering Slafkovsky an expanded role alongside established playmakers. Xhekaj’s inclusion gives the coaching staff another forward capable of bringing energy and physicality as they manage minutes across all four lines.

For Demidov personally, the two-to-four-week window interrupts a promising start to his second NHL season but, based on the current guidance, does not remove him from the broader campaign. In the context of an 82-game regular season under the National Hockey League’s official rules framework, the timeframe still allows him to feature significantly once he returns.

Early-season stakes and a familiar opponent

The Canadiens enter Tuesday’s home opener with a 1-0-1 record and an early chance to measure themselves against one of the league’s recent benchmark teams. Montreal hosts the Carolina Hurricanes in a rematch of last season’s Eastern Conference final, a series that Carolina won in five games before going on to lift the Stanley Cup against the Vegas Golden Knights.

Even at this early point in the regular season, facing the reigning champions is a significant test of Montreal’s depth and resilience. With Demidov unavailable, the matchup becomes an early examination of how effectively the Canadiens can absorb the loss of a high-end offensive contributor while maintaining the aggressive, wave-based style that St. Louis emphasises.

Within the broader Eastern Conference picture, points gained or dropped in October can have a cumulative impact later in the year, particularly in tight wild-card and divisional races. For a young Montreal core still consolidating its place among contenders, performing competitively against Carolina without one of its top forwards is as much about long-term validation as it is about the night’s result.

Development, durability and long-term view

Demidov’s rapid ascent – from top-five draft pick to Calder Trophy finalist and leading rookie scorer – has been central to Montreal’s rebuilding and retooling timeline. His sustained availability is important not only for the Canadiens’ immediate results, but also for his continued development as a primary offensive option.

Injury management at this stage of a player’s career is shaped by a balance between short-term competitiveness and long-term durability. With a defined two-to-four-week outlook, the Canadiens can structure roles and ice time for Dach, Newhook, Slafkovsky and others around a clear, if temporary, absence rather than an open-ended gap in the lineup.

For international observers tracking one of the NHL’s most storied franchises and its next generation of talent, Demidov’s brief spell on the sidelines offers an early look at how Montreal’s depth chart and coaching structure respond when a key young star is unavailable – and at how prepared this roster is to sustain its trajectory over a long regular season and, potentially, beyond.