Montreal Canadiens

Ivan Demidov: There’s nothing to worry about in his case, but…
Michaël Petit
Ivan Demidov: There’s nothing to worry about in his case, but…
Credit: Getty Images

Ivan Demidov's absence is starting to drag on…

Let's just say it's about time he got back in the game—the Habs' power play really isn't doing well this season. It has one of the worst percentages, with an efficiency of just over 15%.

Although Demidov won't turn things around overnight, he's certainly an important part of the first power-play unit.

In short, he's been spotted on the ice a few times lately, which is encouraging.

Our colleague Maxime Truman reports that he's still wearing an orthopedic boot between practice sessions. According to Truman, there's nothing to worry about in his case, but he isn't close enough to a return to action to travel with the team.

Demidov skated yesterday, which is encouraging, but there's still nothing new to report on his health or when he might return to play.

Truman mentioned this to Marc-André Perreault on 99.5 FM.

His rehab is proceeding as planned, but let's just say it's starting to take a while…

Recently, there was a rumor that Demidov had suffered a setback in his rehab and had therefore decided to go to France with his girlfriend. However, none of that was true (thankfully).

In short, one thing is certain: even though the Habs are playing good hockey this season and holding their own despite all the injuries, it has to be said that the loss of Demidov is still a heavy blow.

All the fans and the entire organization are really looking forward to seeing him return to the ice. There's simply no point in rushing his return, since the team is doing well despite his absence.

We just want to make sure he's fully recovered.

In Brief

– After Michkov denied the rumor that he wanted a change of scenery, Daniel Brière has now also denied the rumor.

– Zayne Parekh is very talented.

– Well.

– That brings back some bad memories… The only penalty on that play was called on a Lightning player.