It’s a pretty good time to be a Montreal Canadiens fan. Lane Hutson is locked down with a $70.8 million contract that kicks in next year. Noah Dobson is also locked in with an eight-year, $76 million deal.
Now the only question is what rookie Ivan Demidov will cost the franchise after starting the season in red-hot form.
Canadiens Rookie Ivan Demidov Leads Montreal To NHL History
On Saturday night, the Canadiens went up against a relatively shorthanded Ottawa Senators, but still needed overtime to scrape through with a 4-3 win.
While the Canadiens are 9-3-0 through 12 games, the popular narrative is that Montreal’s ceiling is sky high this year. So high that they can afford for several players to play with their confidence shot, and still get a win.
All things considered, Demidov couldn’t have chosen a better night to make a statement. Remember when Senators forward Nick Cousins tried to level Demidov in preseason?
This was the time for revenge, but in a much cleaner way. With 2:23 left in the third period, Demidov tied the game at 3-3 on a one-timer shot from the slot, breathing life into the Canadiens’ chase for a win.
Alex Newhook then scored on a breakaway 1:40 into overtime to bring the win home for Montreal at Bell Centre.
SPOOKY DEMI!!!#GoHabsGo pic.twitter.com/J5RtN5214U
— Canadiens Montréal (@CanadiensMTL) November 2, 2025
In the process, the Canadiens became the first team in NHL history to rack up five overtime wins through the first 12 games of a season. Those five overtime wins are also the most any team has recorded this season, with San Jose second with three such wins.
And that wasn’t all.
Demidov became the fastest Canadiens rookie to hit 10 points in a season (in 12 games) since Stephan Lebeau in 1989-90 (11GP).
A 9-3-0 record through 12 games is a number that most teams would take at this juncture. For the Canadiens, however, it’s spooky season, given the fact that Demidov is still learning the ropes in this league.
If you also consider that a few Canadiens players are still struggling for form, Montreal’s rivals will need to think long and hard about what the franchise’s ceiling is this year.
Canadiens fans warned the other fanbases that Demidov was the truth. On current form, it appears those prophecies will come to fruition sooner rather than later. As things stand, the Canadiens rookie is the top contender for the Calder Trophy.
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