It's a tale as old as time in draft circles. Media reports will start gaining steam with players going to certain teams thanks to leaks from front offices. We can predict most picks in a first round thanks to the varying reports in the lead-up. However, for some reason, there hasn't been a lot of steam behind Ivan Demidov going to the Chicago Blackhawks. Chicago could be making a massive mistake if they don't at least consider Demidov with the second-overall pick in the NHL Draft, especially given his desire to come to North America.
It'd be hard not to compare Ivan Demidov to the Tampa Bay Lightning's Nikita Kucherov. The two Russians have similar makeups, as they are both sub-six-foot right-wingers with sublime offensive talent.
Demidov dominated the Russian Junior League this season, tallying 60 points in 30 games with SKA-1946 St. Petersburg. Demidov made their KHL team out of training camp, earning the spot over last season's top draft prospect, Matvei Michkov. He didn't last in the KHL, playing just four games, but his time dominating the MHL will serve him well.
Kucherov had a similar draft-eligible season, recording 64 points in 41 games for Krasnaya Armiya Moskva in the MHL. He stayed in Russia the following season, splitting his time between the MHL and KHL, and then moved to North America to play in the QMJHL the following season.
The move to North America helped him debut with the Lightning just three seasons after getting drafted.
We know the career Kucherov ended up having, winning two Stanley Cups and two Art Ross trophies. It's hard to put the weight of those expectations on Demidov, but the expectations for Kucherov coming out of the NHL Draft weren't through the roof, either.
A dynamic duo has worked for the Blackhawks before
The Blackhawks don't have to look far to see why a dynamic duo of Connor Bedard and Ivan Demidov could work. An undersized right-winger and a dynamic centreman led the Blackhawks to three Stanley Cups in the 2010s when Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews lit up the United Center.
It isn't a perfect parallel, as Toews was more of a defensive centerman. Bedard lacks in his defensive end, but he could be one of the best offensive players in the NHL. Regardless, the Blackhawks had an embarrassment of riches during those Stanley Cup years, and they could do it all over again with a Demidov and Bedard pairing.
Most mock drafts have the Blackhawks taking a defenseman with their No. 2 pick, but ClutchPoints' Tristin McKinstry had Demidov going second overall in his Mock Draft 4.0.
The infatuation with the Blackhawks taking a defenseman is hard to explain. They had Alex Vlasic and Kevin Korchinski play with the team this season and have Wyatt Kaiser, Ethan Del Mastro, and Nolan Allen in their prospect pool. All these players are valuable defensemen who are 23 years old and younger.
The Blackhawks don't need to use this pick on a defenseman, considering they have five first-round picks and seven second-round picks in the three upcoming drafts. The Blackhawks can draft a stud defenseman or two with these picks or use them in a package to acquire a more proven blue liner. Chicago also has $32 million in projected cap space this offseason with few contracts to renew. The only worry the Blackhawks have is keeping enough cap open for Bedard's long-term extension possibility after this season.
An overblown Russian factor
The Russia factor is prominent at the NHL Draft, as teams are scared by the possibility prospects won't leave the KHL or aren't allowed to leave. We saw this in the 2023 NHL Draft when scouts said Matvei Michkov could challenge Bedard for the No. 1 pick, but he fell to the Philadelphia Flyers at No. 7.
The front offices that passed up Michkov could look very silly this summer if the reports from SportExpress are accurate. The Hockey News translated the reports in May, which said that Michkov could come to North America this summer. Michkov could join Philadelphia if his contract in the KHL terminates.
There's a chance that Michkov will come to North America next season and become a top-two prospect from the 2023 Draft Class alongside Bedard.
Regardless, Michkov will come to Philadelphia at some point, as his KHL contract will end in two years. Michkov will be worth the wait, like Nikita Kucherov before him, and Demidov will be too. Whoever takes Demidov in the NHL Draft will get a steal and one of the best prospects in the class. The Blackhawks will be wise to account for their abundance of prospects and draft picks and take a big swing here at No. 2 overall.
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