If you asked a hockey fan a week ago who the best player outside of the NHL is, you’d get a bunch of respectable answers. One name that may come up is Ivan Demidov, who Chicago Blackhawks fans may know well. 

Demidov was in the mix to be selected second overall by the Blackhawks in the 2024 NHL Draft. Instead, however, Chicago ended up taking defenseman Artyom Levshunov out of Michigan State University. Demidov ended up falling to the Montreal Canadiens at five. 

In 2024-25, playing for SKA St. Petersburg of the KHL, Demidov had 19 goals and 30 assists for 49 points in 65 games played. That is a great total for a KHL forward who isn’t even 20 years old yet. 

Whether Demidov is a center or wing in the NHL remains to be seen, but he is a shifty/highly skilled offensive powerhouse. His ceiling is an elite-level producer. 

On Tuesday, it became official that the Canadiens would be signing Demidov to his entry level deal. There was some uncertainty there as he was signed to a KHL contract. Ultimately, Demidov and St. Petersburg decided to part ways so he can pursue his dream of playing in the NHL. 

It is unclear when Demidov is expected to arrive in Montreal, but they are likely going to be playing in the playoffs, so he will help them there. He should also get some time in the regular season before the postseason begins. 

Next Monday (April 14th), the Blackhawks will be in Montreal to take on the Canadiens. This means that Levshunov and Demidov could face off in the NHL for the first time. After all of the dialogue comparing these two ahead of their draft, there will be some excitement surrounding their first matchup. 

Demidov has everything he needs entering his first stretch of NHL hockey. Montreal is winning a ton of games, they are likely going to the playoffs, and their building is incredible this time of year when the team is good. 

Young players like Lane Hutson, Nick Suzuki, Cole Caufield, and Juraj Slafkovsky, among others, will be perfect to surround a player like Ivan Demidov. They will create hockey magic together for a long time. 

How will they compare with the Blackhawks' young core? It is hard to tell right now because Chicago is a year or two behind in terms of the rebuild process, but they should play a good game against each other. If Demidov does live up to the hype,  the Habs are getting a consequential player at the most important time. 

Visit The Hockey News Chicago Blackhawks team site to stay updated on the latest news, game-day coverage, player features, and more.

The Chicago Blackhawks are excited about their many good young players. Developing talent isn’t easy in the NHL. You need good leadership from coaches and management, but you also need veteran players to help out. 

One of those players for Chicago in 2024-25 has been Patrick Maroon. He’s only been with the Blackhawks for this one season, but his impact will be long-lasting. The young guys on the team will be better for having Maroon as a teammate. 

On Wednesday, Maroon was announced as the Blackhawks’ nominee for the Masterton Trophy. One player from every team is nominated each year. The winner will be the player who best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to hockey.

Maroon has been a pro hockey player for a long time. That includes 14 years in the NHL, which will conclude with the Blackhawks at the end of this year. He has had various roles with different teams throughout his career.

Maroon’s peak came when he won three consecutive Stanley Cups in 2019, 2020, and 2021 (one with the St. Louis Blues and two with the Tampa Bay Lightning). He also had a 27-goal season when he was a member of the Edmonton Oilers, which will stand as his career high. 

With the Blackhawks, he played the role of a mentor on a rebuilding team. The height of that came around the holidays when he took young Lukas Reichel to St. Louis with his family once he learned that Reichel had nowhere to go during the break. It was a great display of leadership and his desire to make people feel good. 

Maroon can retire from the game knowing he made a lasting impact in multiple ways. Ending it with a Masterton Trophy nomination is the perfect way for him to go out because of what the award means. 

Bryan Berard was the last Blackhawk to win the Masterton in 2004. Before that, Pit Martin was the only other Blackhawks player to earn it back in 1970.

Visit The Hockey News Chicago Blackhawks team site to stay updated on the latest news, game-day coverage, player features, and more.

Dakota Joshua has been named the Vancouver Canucks nominee for the 2025 Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy. The annual award is presented to the player who best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to hockey. One player from each team is nominated, with the selection coming from each chapter of the Professional Hockey Writers Association.

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Prior to the season starting, Joshua was diagnosed with testicular cancer. He had successful surgery in September, which kept him out of the lineup until November 14. Joshua also missed 11 games with a lower-body injury in January. 

This season, Joshua has six goals and 12 points in 53 games. He also has 188 hits, which ranks 33rd in the NHL. Over his career with the Canucks, Joshua has 67 points in 195 games, while his 654 hits rank sixth in franchise history.

2025 Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy Nominees:

Anaheim: John Gibson
Boston: Joonas Korpisalo
Buffalo: Jason Zucker
Calgary: Justin Kirkland
Carolina: Jordan Staal
Chicago: Pat Maroon
Colorado: Gabriel Landeskog
Columbus: Sean Monahan
Dallas: Jason Robertson
Detroit: Patrick Kane
Edmonton: Calvin Pickard
Florida: Jesper Boqvist
Los Angeles: Drew Doughty
Minnesota: Marc-Andre Fleury
Montreal: Josh Anderson
Nashville: Nick Blankenburg
New Jersey: Jesper Bratt
NY Islanders: Mike Reilly
NY Rangers: Jonny Brodzinski
Ottawa: David Perron
Philadelphia: Ivan Fedotov
Pittsburgh: Boko Imama
San Jose: Marc-Edouard Vlasic
Seattle: Jaden Schwartz
St. Louis: Ryan Suter
Tampa Bay: Ryan McDonagh
Toronto: John Tavares
Utah: Mikhail Sergachev
Vancouver: Dakota Joshua
Vegas: Tomáš Hertl
Washington: Alex Ovechkin
Winnipeg: Neal Pionk

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Long-time NHL executive and Stanley Cup winning general manager Ray Shero has died, the league announced Wednesday. He was 62.

NHL commissioner Gary Bettman announced the news in a statement Wednesday, calling Shero a "widely respected" mind who "brightened the day of everyone he met."

“Ray Shero’s smile and personality lit up every room he walked into and brightened the day of everyone he met. Widely respected throughout hockey for his team-building acumen and eye for talent, he was even more beloved for how he treated everyone fortunate enough to have known him."

Shero spent three decades working in NHL front offices. He was a long-time assistant general manager with the Ottawa Senators and Nashville Predators early in his career. Shero worked his way up from there, eventually being hired as the Pittsburgh Penguins' general manager in 2006. He excelled with the team, making the playoffs in every year in which he oversaw the Penguins. 

After watching the team fall short for two years, Shero won a Stanley Cup championship with the Penguins during the 2008-09 NHL season. While the team continued to make the playoffs, it developed a reputation for being dispatched by lower-seeded opponents. That led to Shero being fired following the 2013-14 season, when the Penguins fell to the New York Rangers in the second round of the playoffs. 

Shero was then hired by the New Jersey Devils. The team struggled to improve, making the playoffs just once with Shero running things. He was fired in 2020 and did not get another general manager job in the league.

After leaving the Devils, Shero worked as a senior advisor to the general manager with the Minnesota Wild. The Wild also paid tribute to Shero on Wednesday, saying Shero will be "greatly missed by all of us."