In Montreal, things are still going well, but not perfect.
The Canadiens are having a hard time maintaining a lead, and that lack of focus starts with the coaches.
Is Martin Saint-Louis timing his troops incorrectly? Maybe. Either way, he recognizes that he needs to better manage the playing time of certain players.
Habs coach Marty St. Louis today on his ice time management:
“I could manage my ice time better. This is the first time I've coached a team with so much depth. As a coach, I have to work better with some players to manage how we roll the lines. Sometimes I… pic.twitter.com/NXSUQXVbKF
– /r/Habs (@HabsOnReddit) November 8, 2025
Among these players, Ivan Demidov is the one whose ice time is talked about the most.
St. Louis didn't mention Demidov directly, but the Russian is the club's most talented player, and let's just say he doesn't play as much as guys like Cole Caufield and Nick Suzuki.
In the last game, the least used forwards were Zachary Bolduc and Demidov. Kirby Duch and Joe Veleno were used more, imagine that…
Scandalous. But hey, it happens.
Today he has the worst time on ice among forwards:
– Zach Bolduc: 09:11 min.
– Ivan Demidov: 10:27 min.
– Kirby Duch: 11:37 minutes
– Joe Veleno: 12:44 minutes– /r/Habs (@HabsOnReddit) November 7, 2025
St. Louis doesn't make any excuses, but this is the first time they've had such a deep roster.
Distributing ice time among his star players poses some challenges, but it's a welcome challenge. The season is still young and MSL is also not the most experienced at his position.
Like all young players, we will give him a chance. But Demidov must play. Just like Suzuki… just like Caufield. If anything, Bolduc shouldn't be the least used forward…
After a while
– Oh, okay.
Even iron men can swear https://t.co/ZMFWehrAyp
– TVA Sports (@TVASports) November 8, 2025
– I don’t think this is a cause for concern…
The Habs players have a lot of work to do, especially with the player shortage.
https://t.co/MI19O3fCD1
– TVA Sports (@TVASports) November 8, 2025
– Really?
Elliott Friedman: Regarding Jonathan Huberdeau: Given what's going on with the cap, if he can go the way he's going right now, I don't think it'll be too hard to handle; I’m not even sure that they will cope with him, who knows where this will all lead – FAN Hockey Show (6/11)
– NHL Rumors Report (@NHLRumourReport) November 9, 2025
