A decision out of the International Olympic Committee could end up mattering a lot to the Montreal Canadiens, and especially to Ivan Demidov.
The IOC Executive Board announced earlier this week that it had provisionally lifted the suspension of the Russian Olympic Committee. It also said that its recommendations to International Federations about Russian athletes’ participation are no longer applicable.
That may not change anything for the Canadiens right away, but it could have a real impact later on. Since Russia was suspended from international events after its invasion of Ukraine in 2023, Russian hockey players have been shut out of the Olympic Games, the IIHF World Championships and the World Junior Championships. The NHL also kept Russia out of its own international competition, which is how the 4 Nations Face-Off came together.
Now, this IOC move could open the door to Team Russia returning to international hockey. And because the NHL usually follows the IOC and IIHF’s lead, that could also mean Russian players are eligible for the 2028 World Cup of Hockey, which is set for February 2028 in Canada and Czechia.
For Demidov, that would be a major development. If Russia is back in the mix, the Canadiens’ playmaker would finally have a chance to play in a best-on-best event, the kind of stage that gives players a valuable measuring stick. Nick Suzuki has spoken highly of his own experiences at the 4 Nations and the Olympics, and those tournaments have also helped a wider audience see how complete the Canadiens captain is.
By February 2028, assuming nothing changes, Alexander Zharovsky should also be with the Canadiens, though it is far too early to know whether he would be in the conversation for Team Russia. There is no shortage of Russian talent to sort through either. Last season, Nikita Kucherov scored 130 points, Kirill Kaprizov had 89 points and landed a contract with a $17M cap hit, and Artemi Panarin took his production to the Los Angeles Kings.
And that’s only the forwards. Russia could also lean on some of the league’s top goaltenders, including Andrei Vasilevskiy, Igor Shesterkin, Ilya Sorokin and Sergei Bobrovsky. On defense, Mikhail Sergachev, Dimitry Orlov, Alexander Nikishin and Pavel Mintyukov are among the names that come to mind.
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