As if the media threshing accompanying the arrival of Ivan Demidov to the Montreal Canadians was not going to be difficult enough to contain under the roof at the Bell Center.
In the midst of the euphoria of the announcement on Tuesday that the 19 -year -old Russian winger had signed an entry -level contract of three years (ELC) came this delicious nugget: the agreement includes a bonus of $ 525,000 if he wins the Conn Smythe trophy as MVP of the future qualifiers.
It was quickly (and naturally) misinterpreted by many on social networks as a declaration of intention of the fifth overall choice of the 2024 draft, which is in parachuting directly in the last days of the push of the Canadiens qualifiers after a season where he held more than held against men in the KHL.
Does Demidov believe that he can follow in the footsteps of Ken Dryden by winning the Conn Smythe trophy before even burning his recruited eligibility as a NHL player?
No. Not exactly.
The real reflection behind the structure of his contract and that Conn Smythe has maximization of the amount that he is eligible to gain in performance bonuses in the years 2 and 3 of the agreement, according to sources of the league.
Let me explain: each player who signing his first NHL contract to start at the end of the season presents himself in a challenge due to the 100%rule. This rule prevents something from more than a 100% increase in the compensation of the year 1 to year 2 of a contract, and states that a following year cannot see an additional increase that exceeds the lowest of the games of the year 1 or 2 – which is problematic for a signature at the end of the season, because it will not play enough games to qualify immediately for individual taking “to plan” or ” Reserved for major leagues.
Well, at least none of the main prices that are awarded during the regular season. This is where the Conn Smythe bonus comes into play.
By ensuring that plus a bonus of $ 55,000 of matches in its contract for 2024-25, Demidov was able to fill $ 2 million in potential bonuses for 2025-26 and 3 million dollars in potential premiums for 2026-2010. This contractual structure will prove to be lucrative if he has a productive beginning for his NHL career. Complete ventilation of the Demidov agreement can be found here:
THE #Gohabsgo Signed ’24 # 5 Pick Demidov at 3 years old Elc from this year
An 1,775K NHL, 97.5K Signing bonuses, 55K GP bonus, 525K Conn Smythe Bonus
An 2: 877.5 & 97.5K SB, 1m “a bonus” perf, 1m “B PB
An 3,877.5 / 97.5 / 1m / 2mCAP struck 941K, $ 2.63 million aav
Widespread by @ Hocketing1…
– Puckpedia (@puckpedia) April 8, 2025
It should be noted in particular that this option was not available for other recent recovery choices when signing with teams that were not heading for the playoffs. These organizations were not allowed to include a bonus of Conn Smythe, which is why he did not appear in the ELC signed by the defender of Buffalo Sabers Owen Power and the Seattle Kraken Matty Beners striker at the end of the 2021-22 season, or that signed by the defender of New Jersey Devils Luke Hughes 2022-23.
These players all received lower bonuses from year 2 and 3 that Demidov.
Washington Capitals striker Ryan Leonard, it should be noted, has obtained a bonus from Conn Smythe worth $ 275,000 when he signed his ELC on March 31. The defender of the Colorado avalanche, Cale Makar, had previously one in his ELC for the 2018-19 season.
All the players mentioned above could have signed contracts which included maximum bonuses if they chose to wait for the following season to do so, but everyone decided that burning a year immediately was more precious than not to obtain these maximum bonuses a year later.
Demidov obtained the best of both worlds, with help from his new teammates.
Seen from another angle, Demidov benefited from the animated push of Montreal in the second half for a joker point in the Eastern Conference, and not only because it could end up dressing for matches in the Séries of the Stanley Cup in the coming weeks. The team’s race paved the way to receive a more favorable ELC than it would have been eligible to sign if it had already been officially eliminated from the affirmation of the playoffs
Thus, although the teenager does not really claim the trophy Conn Smythe and the money of this good bonus this spring, he has already marked a victory despite everything.
(Photo: Candice Ward / Getty Images)
