During the NHL’s break for the Olympics, Montreal Canadiens players not chosen to compete in the Milan-Cortina Games, or whose countries are not involved, are enjoying some well-earned time off. Even avid hockey fans like Ivan Demidov are taking the opportunity to relax. The Russian rookie, who brought excitement to Canadiens supporters by visiting outdoor rinks with teammate Lane Hutson during Christmas, was recently seen on a flight to Florida. According to his girlfriend\u2019s Instagram, Demidov is now heading to Disney\u2019s Magic Kingdom. Meanwhile, while the team\u2019s last game before the break was played, Demidov\u2019s partner, Katya Yakovleva, shared photos of herself exploring Disney\u2019s famous castle and attractions.<\/p>\n
Demidov\u2019s rookie season is progressing smoothly, with the 20-year-old accumulating 46 points in 57 games and leading all rookies in scoring. His pace suggests he could finish the season with around 66 points, matching the total Hutson achieved last year when he won the Calder Trophy. However, Demidov faces stiff competition from other young defensemen, like Beckett Senecke of the Anaheim Ducks and Matthew Schaefer of the New York Islanders, who are also vying for the Calder.
\nSenecke, just 18, has rapidly impressed since jumping into the NHL after his junior season, serving as a key player for the Islanders with 39 points in 56 games, a plus-9 rating, and more than 24 minutes of ice time per game. He has also scored four game-winners, including two in overtime, and has been paired with Patrick Roy at times, handling key responsibilities on the power play.
\nFor the Canadiens, Demidov\u2019s role as the top rookie scorer keeps him in the Calder conversation, but gaining ground against established rivals won\u2019t be easy with only 25 games remaining. Fans can look forward to seeing Demidov face off against Senecke and others when the Canadiens and Islanders meet at the Bell Centre on February 26th\u2014a matchup that could serve as an early playoff preview of these rising stars.<\/p>\n
Fan Take: This competition among young defensemen highlights the league\u2019s bright future, sparking excitement that can energize the sport\u2019s fanbase. Watching these newcomers develop will be compelling, possibly shaping the next era of NHL dominance and inspiring the next generation of players.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
During the NHL’s break for the Olympics, Montreal Canadiens players not chosen to compete in the Milan-Cortina Games, or whose countries are not involved, are enjoying some well-earned time off. Even avid hockey fans like Ivan Demidov are taking the opportunity to relax. The Russian rookie, who brought excitement to Canadiens supporters by visiting outdoor […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":41737,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[730],"tags":[734],"class_list":{"0":"post-41736","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-nhl","8":"tag-nhl"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41736","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=41736"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41736\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/41737"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=41736"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=41736"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=41736"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}