Ivan Demidov for Sidney Crosby: TSN’s totally ridiculous idea

Dose
Crédit: MONTREAL, CANADA - APRIL 14: Ivan Demidov #93 of the Montreal Canadiens skates in his first career NHL game during the third period against the Chicago Blackhawks at the Bell Centre on April 14, 2025 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The Chicago Blackhawks defeated the Montreal Canadiens 4-3 in a shootout (Photo by Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images)

This morning, Pierre LeBrun set the town ablaze by publishing a piece about an interview with Sidney Crosby. And what got everyone talking was that the main topic of the interview was… Montreal.Crosby talking about how cool it is to be so loved in Montreal, Pat Brisson talking about the possibility of a deal: obviously, it got people talking.But of course, in the event that Crosby ends up with the Canadiens, the club will have to give something in return. And that’s what TSN has been talking about… but not necessarily for the right reasons. In fact, on OverDrive, the three hosts wonder what it would cost the Canadiens… and Jeff O’Neill would trade Ivan Demidov for Crosby.Nothing less. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r9qAdcp8vk0&ab_channel=TSN [content-ads]The guys are right about one thing: the Habs won’t get Crosby for free. It’s going to have to give something back (although in my opinion, if Crosby wants to go to Montreal, the Penguins won’t need to be offered the moon to respect their captain’s wish), and that something won’t be an old quarter. But from there to trading Demidov, whom the club sees as a future concession player, makes no sense. As good as Crosby is, we’re talking about a 38-year-old player who doesn’t have a ton of years left in him. Trading Demidov when the club isn’t even guaranteed a contender this year (even with Crosby) would be completely absurd.And no, Lane Hutson (also mentioned) isn’t any better… for the same reasons as Demidov. If the Canadiens’ core were 2-3 years more mature, the gamble would already make a little more sense. But right now, trading an extremely promising 19-year-old for a 38-year-old veteran just doesn’t make sense.Demidov, right now, must be one of the untouchables in Montreal. And no, Crosby isn’t worth a waiver from that status.[spacer title=’Overtime’]- Elliotte Friedman would be surprised if Mason McTavish were traded.

– I like it.

– Contract extension: Connor Bedard and Adrian Kempe aren’t too worried.

– Interesting.