Ivan Demidov put pen to paper on an eight-year, $73.2-million contract extension with the Montreal Canadiens on Wednesday, locking the 20-year-old Russian winger into the club’s young core through the 2034‑35 season. The deal, which carries an average annual value of $9.15 million and begins in 2027‑28, came a year before Demidov’s entry-level contract was due to expire. He led all NHL rookies with 62 points last season and added nine points in 19 playoff games during Montreal’s run to the Eastern Conference final. “We have a good core. Everyone is about the same age, everyone wants to win the Cup and everyone is hungry,” Demidov said after an early-morning skate with teammate Lane Hutson, who signed a similarly early extension last summer.

Viewed from Montreal, the Demidov deal is the latest in a series of team-friendly pacts that general manager Kent Hughes has secured with his emerging stars. Nick Suzuki, Cole Caufield, Juraj Slafkovsky and Hutson are all signed through at least 2030, and no player on the roster carries a cap hit above $10 million. Defenceman Noah Dobson remains the highest-paid at $9.5 million annually. Hughes framed the internal salary structure as a recruiting tool, arguing that rival players will notice a collective willingness to leave money on the table in pursuit of a championship. Russian media, meanwhile, traced Demidov’s rapid ascent from SKA Saint Petersburg, where he was the KHL’s top scorer in 2024‑25, to Calder Trophy finalist in his first full NHL campaign.

Elsewhere on the first day of free agency, the Toronto Maple Leafs signed two-time Stanley Cup winner Sergei Bobrovsky to a three-year, $21-million contract. The 37-year-old goaltender is coming off the worst statistical season of his career — an .877 save percentage and 3.07 goals-against average — and arrives on a team that allowed the most shots in the league last year. In Winnipeg, the Jets added former Edmonton and Pittsburgh netminder Stuart Skinner on a two-year, $7.5-million deal, a move that unfolded against a backdrop of persistent trade rumours surrounding Vezina Trophy winner Connor Hellebuyck. Skinner, who backstopped the Oilers to two Stanley Cup finals, posted a .888 save percentage in 50 games split between the two clubs last season.

Across the Atlantic, Swiss captain Nico Hischier signed a five-year, $50.75-million extension with the New Jersey Devils, a deal that will keep the 27-year-old in Newark through 2032. Ottawa added goaltender Samuel Ersson on a two-year contract and extended forward Nick Cousins, while Vancouver brought back defenceman Luke Schenn for a third stint. The flurry of activity came as the NHL salary cap is projected to rise sharply in coming seasons, making long-term commitments at current values potentially more favourable for clubs. Montreal’s front office, in particular, appears to have bet that early extensions for its young stars will yield surplus value as the cap ceiling climbs, a calculation that will be tested when Demidov’s new deal kicks in and the Canadiens aim to convert a promising core into sustained contention.