No one involved in Demidov’s release from his KHL contract knew for sure it was happening until Tuesday. He could make his debut Monday.

In an unexpected late-season development, the Montreal Canadiens are getting a huge boost for the stretch run and potentially the playoffs with top prospect Ivan Demidov joining them from Russia. The Canadiens signed Demidov to a three-year entry-level contract Tuesday,

News broke Tuesday that Montreal Canadiens top prospect Ivan Demidov had terminated his KHL contract and signed a three-year entry-level deal with the team. The Habs think so highly of Demidov that they included a bold bonus clause on his contract and plan to use him at some point before the playoffs, potentially on Friday.