SKA: Ivan Demidov relegated to the third line (and his playing time suffered as a result)

For a few weeks now, Ivan Demidovs playing time in Russia has been drawing attention for the right reasons.

Since the Canadiens visit to Russia and Evgeny Kuznetsovs injury, SKAs coach, Roman Rotenberg, has been giving a lot of ice time to the kid .

And Demidov is responding by scoring points like crazy.

Proof that playing your best players pays off.

In short, instead of talking about the scraps of ice time he was getting at the beginning of the year, were discussing his impressive performances on the top line...

but today, that has changed.

Following the 5-0 loss suffered by SKA in their last game, it was Demidov who took the hit...

as he has been relegated to the third line today.

Rotenberg continues to play yo-yo with the young forward, who wasnt responsible for the latest loss of the team.

Habs Prospect Ivan Demidov: Update As anticipated, Coach Rotenberg responded to the teams struggles in the last game by demoting Demidov from the first line to the third line.

However, lets be clear: Demidov wasnt the issue.

The defensive corps struggled significantly,...

pic.twitter.com/WLoc4pdM2T HABS NATION (@CoachFrenchy10X) January 11, 2025 And during the first 40 minutes of the game, it obviously had a significant impact on his ice time.

He did not play at all on the power play, and in the second period, he spent more than seven minutes without stepping on the ice.

Six minutes of ice time in two periods: it had been a while since that number was so low for the Canadiens prospect.

Habs Prospect Ivan Demidov Update In the second period, Ivan Demidov was limited to just 4 shifts, with a total ice time of 3:15.

Notably, one of those shifts lasted over 1 minute and 20 seconds.

At one point, he was kept off the ice for more than 7 minutes.

Demidov was...

HABS NATION (@CoachFrenchy10X) January 11, 2025 The good news, however, is that in the third period, while his team was down by a goal, Rotenberg decided to give Demidov another chance by bringing him back to the first line.

And after spending 6:01 on the ice during the first 40 minutes of the game, he spent 6:35 in the third period alone...

and thats considering that his team was short-handed for six minutes.

One can assume that his ice time could have been even higher.

Habs prospect Ivan Demidov saw a significant increase in his ice time during the third period, as Head Coach Rotenberg moved him up to the first line.

However, Demidovs ice time was limited due to a six-minute penalty for SKA.

Despite this, he finished the period with 6:35 of...

pic.twitter.com/1v4f58jKbD HABS NATION (@CoachFrenchy10X) January 11, 2025 Demidov did not score any points in this game (it was the second game in a row without points for the young player), and seeing SKA lose a second consecutive game makes one wonder if Demidov will not return to a support line for the next match.

However, seeing the teams coach turn to Demidov in the third period when his team really needed a goal might be a sign that the coach realizes that playing Demidov is a good way to win games.

Again, we know that ice time does not always go to merit with SKA...

but I liked the coachs reaction in the third period.

Lets see what this will bring for the upcoming matches now.

In Brief The Canucks, who face the Maple Leafs tonight, were unable to fly to Toronto last night due to the weather.

It will be tough for them tonight.

Hildeby tonight for TOR vs VCR Canucks are en route from Carolina.

Could not leave last night due to icy weather.

Tough travel for them Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) January 11, 2025 What to expect from the Western teams as the trade deadline approaches? Deadline Countdown: Top trade deadline objective for all 16 teams in the West.

#GoAvsGo #TexasHockey #LetsGoOilers #GoKingsGo #mnwild #UtahHC #Canucks #FlyTogether #Flames #stlblues #preds #Blackhawks #TheFutureIsTeal #seakraken #gojetsgo #vegasborn https://t.co/1C8ispcZON Frank Seravalli (@frank_seravalli) January 11, 2025 Its the battle of Connors tonight in the NHL.

No.1 picks Connor McDavid (0-33 in 2 GP) and Connor Bedard (2-24 in 2 GP) are set to meet for the third time when the @NHLBlackhawks host the @EdmontonOilers during Hockey Night in Canada.

Catch the action on @Sportnet and Sportsnet+.

pic.twitter.com/IqMpFRuNdq NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) January 11, 2025 This article first appeared on Dose.ca and was syndicated with permission..

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