Photo credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images

While the Ivan Demidov situation has been generating a lot of buzz lately in Montreal, it has come to light that the young prospect almost didn’t end up with the Canadiens.

At last year’s NHL Draft held in Vegas, the Anaheim Ducks shocked the hockey world by selecting forward Beckett Sennecke with the third overall pick.

He himself even looked surprised when he found out he was chosen by the California organization, but in an interview on TVA Sports, Ducks Director of Amateur Scouting Martin Madden Jr. admitted that he and his hockey staff nearly set their sights on Ivan Demidov.

The Ducks reveal they were very close to drafting Ivan Demidov, before the Montreal Canadiens

Here’s the exact statement.

“We were going with a forward, someone who could play in the top two lines and score goals, who can drive the play.

Ivan is one, Beckett is another, and there was another one in the mix that I won’t name.”

– Martin Madden Jr.

He continued:

“At third overall, you’ve done your homework not just on the ice, but off it as well.

You want a character type who fits the mold of what you’re trying to build and complements what you already have.

Those were a few of the considerations that made us lean toward Beckett, who will probably take a bit more time to arrive than Demidov.

We’ll wait for him, and he’ll have an impact when he’s with us.”

– Martin Madden Jr.

Wow! That’s a surprising reveal, especially since other teams don’t usually talk about players from rival teams.

We know what happened next.

The Columbus Blue Jackets selected Cayden Lindstrom with the following pick, before the Montreal Canadiens landed the young Russian sensation who had an outstanding season with SKA St. Petersburg in the KHL.