Canadiens Notebook: Early signs suggest Demidov will take another ‘step’

MONTREAL— It was a smooth redirect from Ivan Demidov . This one delivered in the room after he spent his night dekeing and deceiving every Toronto Maple Leaf in his path in a 4-3 overtime win for his Montreal Canadiens at Bell Centre.

It’s pre-season, but Demidov, who scored a goal on Saturday, is already in mid-season form both on and off the ice.

We asked him if anything he worked on during the off-season translated immediately for him through this first game back.

“You tell me,” the 20-year-old Russian, who paced all rookies in scoring with 62 points last season, retorted.

We were thinking on a rather granular level, so we suggested the way he smoothly picked the puck up off the boards and consistently turned those possessions into threats was attention-grabbing.

The feeling he can access all of them now is palpable, even if the first glimpse of that came against Toronto’s B squad in a meaningless game.

What are the early signs Demidov can go from dangerous in Year 1 to lethal in Year 2?

We asked Martin St. Louis, and he delivered the type of insightful answer we’ve come to expect from him.

“If anything, maybe he’s gained a little bit of a step,” the coach of the Canadiens said. “Not that he was slow, (but) I feel there’s a little more jump, a little more power, a little more strength. I don’t know what it is, but I felt like I saw that tonight, I’ve been seeing it in practice, which always will help you get places quicker if you anticipate the right way. And you find better pockets if you have a little bit more of a step.

“I thought he was really good in space tonight. Demi’s able to create space for himself. He looks like he’s going to get closed off and he’s able to turn on a dime and go the other way. Very slippery that way. But you can be slippery and immediately create separation with that step I’m talking about it, and you get your eyes up and he has all the talent and the skill to execute the next thing, and he can do that. So, based on what I’ve seen so far, I feel like he’s just got another step.”

Combine that step with improved skill, closer attention to detail and increased comfort in the NHL, and someone that’s already great becomes special.

And if Demidov continues to do what he did on Saturday — he notched nine shot attempts — he could go from hard to stop to practically unstoppable.

He says he intends to have more of a shooter’s mentality, and St. Louis said that’s a natural evolution for the gifted playmaker.

“Demi’s a really good passer, but I think he’s learning to find that balance and make the best play possible instead of just making a pass,” said St. Louis. “I think with experience, he can make clearer reads on it instead of always thinking of passing. That always gets better with experience.”