Ivan Demidov, Lane Hutson are the centre of Canadiens’ present and future success – The Athletic

BUFFALO, N.Y. — When Ivan Demidov was drafted by the Montreal Canadiens in Las Vegas with the No. 5 pick, Lane Hutson was there, and he was excited.

Hutson was on hand because it was his brother Cole’s draft year, but he knew about Demidov because he had friends texting him clips of Demidov’s highlights in Russia and telling him the Canadiens needed to draft this guy. Hutson followed Demidov’s progress in his draft year from that point onward.

It was appropriate that Hutson was the first Canadiens player to welcome Demidov to the team because they are, in many ways, the same player. One defenceman, one forward, but they share qualities like fantastic edge work and the ability to make people miss because of that edge work, and are both truly unique in the ways they move on the ice.

But the similarities don’t end there.

“Everything we do is pretty similar, too,” Hutson said during the first round of the playoffs. “It’s pretty funny. Not even on the ice, even in general, away from the rink, we do similar things. We’re roommates, so whenever it’s time to shut it down, everything’s on schedule. We’re doing the same things. If it’s a travel day, we get in, get to our hotel room, we don’t really leave the hotel room, we usually order food, hang out and go to bed. It’s all business on the road.”

The Canadiens were on the road for Game 5 of their second-round series against the Buffalo Sabres on Thursday, with the series tied 2-2 and this game being pivotal. And it was all business for Hutson and Demidov, hockey soulmates and two of the players driving this Canadiens rebuild to the heights we are witnessing with each passing game.

When on the road, Hutson said, between the meal in the hotel room and bedtime is when the two of them have their hockey chats, little lab sessions between two players who see the game the same way and exploit their skills the same way.

“He’s such a gifted offensive player,” Hutson said after Game 5. “I try to tell him to just keep playing the same way. He was getting his chances, creating a lot for other guys, so it was only a matter of time. I was telling him, ‘Trust yourself and just play your game and hopefully you score, but if you don’t, you’re generating a ton.’ It’s nice to see him get one.”

With the Canadiens down 3-2 in the second period and reeling a little bit, it was Hutson who drove down off an offensive zone faceoff win and set up Josh Anderson for the tying goal at 8:01 of the period.

“I mean, you can see everything, his vision, his mobility, his skating and his passing,” Demidov said. “Everything, just in one goal.”

Just over eight minutes later, it was Demidov putting a killer move on Mattias Samuelsson to cut to a scoring area and putting a shot on goal that squeaked through Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen and was rolling over the goal line as Jake Evans batted it in to score the winning goal.

And then, just to put the cherry on top of what was a dangerous game from him, Demidov scored on the power play in the third period to complete the scoring in a 6-3 Canadiens win that gives them an opportunity to close out the series at home on Saturday night.

“He’s a skilled guy; he’s going to get chances probably every night,” said Juraj Slafkovský, who, aside from Demidov, was the only other player in the Canadiens lineup younger than Hutson. “Like us, some other guys, it’s not always going to go in, you just have to stick with it and keep working hard and keep shooting the puck. He beat the goalie the first time and Jake had to put it in, and then he had another chance. I wasn’t worried it wasn’t going to come.”

Demidov is 20, Hutson and Slafkovský are 22, and the experiences they are gathering will help the Canadiens for years. But they are also helping them right now. Slafkovský had three assists Thursday, including the pass that set up Demidov for his first career playoff goal in the third period.

But Slafkovský is also in his fourth NHL season. Age-wise, he might be young, but in terms of NHL experience, he is not. Hutson and Demidov are in a different category: last year’s Calder Trophy winner and this year’s runner-up. And everything they have in common, from their hotel routines on the road to their elite edge work to their supreme offensive talent to their underrated work defensively, all comes from one place.

“I mean, I feel pretty confident,” Demidov said when asked if his goal helped his confidence.

In other words, his confidence doesn’t waver because Demidov knows how good he is, just like Hutson knows how good he is. And when a game is on the line, they both have the gift of knowing their talent and skill can make a difference for their team.

But that confidence does not come out of nowhere.

“Their confidence comes from their preparation and the time they put in,” Canadiens coach Martin St. Louis said. “You have to work. To be a confident player, it’s not just about the goals. Yeah, that’s going to help. But to me, it’s the preparation that leads up to everything that you’re trying to do.

“Those guys are perfectionists, they prepare a lot, they’re on the ice, they get their touches. They’re confident players. And being confident doesn’t guarantee the puck’s going to go in, but I think it allows you to not just be a flash in the pan. It’s every day. They come in every day and they work on their stuff.”

The relationship Demidov and Hutson have is rooted firmly in the similarities their coach spelled out. They are both gifted offensive players who give us much defensively, who care as much defensively. And that is rare, to have players who are so unique with the puck on their stick and also do what is necessary without the puck on their stick to ensure they get the puck back on their stick.

The young trio of Ivan Demidov, Lane Hutson and Juraj Slafkovský will help the Canadiens for years. (Eric Bolte / Imagn Images)

No matter what happens in this series, the Canadiens will be riding Hutson, Demidov and Slafkovský for years to come.

The difference between Slafkovský and the other two can be seen in his playoff beard. It is filling out quite nicely and is perhaps indicative of the NHL mileage he has already put on his odometer. Meanwhile, Demidov and Hutson are competing to have the worst playoff beards in the Canadiens room. The cheeks are devoid of any facial hair, and were it not for Demidov’s sparse whiskers on his chin and upper lip, Hutson would have far and away the worst playoff beard in the room.

“He’s better,” Demidov said with a big smile when asked to compare the two playoff beards. “At least he has something.”

At some point, both Hutson and Demidov will be sporting full beards at this stage of the playoffs, and when they reach that point, it is difficult to imagine just how dangerous the Canadiens will be.

They are already dangerous, and two players who still can’t grow a decent playoff beard are at the heart of it.