Canadiens: If Milstein Had His Way, Demidov’s Contract Would Have Been Different
When the Montreal Canadiens announced that Ivan Demidov had signed an eight-year contract extension with a $9.15 million cap hit, there were a lot of reactions on social media. Habs fans saw it as yet another masterstroke by Kent Hughes, but outside voices thought Demidov should fire his agent since he was worth much more than that.
Those voices need not worry; Demidov’s agent, Dan Milstein, is well aware of his client’s worth. In an interview with The Gazette’s Herb Zurkowsky, he explained:
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“If I had it my way, the deal probably would have looked a little different. Ivan basically said he wanted the eight-year deal. He wanted it done quickly and wanted to leave room (financially) for Montreal to get even better.”
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While nothing in Milstein’s explanation is shocking, it confirms that if it had been up to the agent, Demidov wouldn’t have signed the deal as it is. However, he goes on to explain that, with Demidov being so young, there will be other deals in his future that he will be able to cash in:
“My client, at the age of 28 or 29, will be able to sign whatever deals are available at the time. That will probably be four or five times bigger than what it is today. For the time being, Ivan is extremely happy. He’s grateful and gracious. They came to him after only 84 (career) games. There are no regrets.”
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Milstein’s statement is quite similar to what Nick Suzuki said when he was discussing his own contract at the Assista golf tournament. The fact that players left a lot of money on the table right now does not mean they will be underpaid for their whole career. Right now, they like where the team is and believe they have good chances of winning a Stanley Cup, which is why they are willing to take a team-friendly deal. The agent even goes as far as confirming to Zurkowsky that Demidov wanted to “be like everyone else on the team”.
That’s a testament to the team culture put in place in Montreal and further confirmation that the organization made the right choice in making Nick Suzuki the team’s captain. The talented player inspires respect, and his role with the Habs was a big part of Kent Hughes signing core players like Cole Caufield and Juraj Slafkovsky for cap hits that come under Suzuki’s. The cap being what it is and going up, Hughes couldn’t do the same with Lane Hutson or Noah Dobson, who was coming off his second contract, but the captain’s cap hit was still an argument that helped keep their cap hit lower than it could have been.
At the end of the day, those players’ agents know that their clients could be making more money, but they cannot go against their will to buy into the team’s culture, which is great news for Hughes and the organization.
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