The past few days have offered some news on Toronto Maple Leafs’ prospect Rodion Amirov. Not only did he return to the ice Sunday after a minor injury, but there’s news about his World Junior future and a possible extension in the KHL.
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According to a report that surfaced on Thursday by KHL Diaries, Ufa based writer Denis Taipov said that Salavat of the KHL has begun contract extension negotiations with the Maple Leafs first-round pick.
If the two-year extension is signed he would be under contract until April of 2023 and it would mean that the Leafs would be without a player they expected might join their minor league system before then. In other words, this is probably not the development path that the Maple Leafs fans were hoping for when they selected him 15th overall in the 2020 NHL Draft.
There’s no word on whether or not this extension is a sure thing and if so, if there would be any out clause worked in should the Leafs want Amirov to join their system sooner.
Maybe Not the Worst News for Maple Leafs
Again, this is not a done deal. But if happens, there could be a few reasons Amirov and his agent are thinking about going this route. For the Leafs, the idea is to get him as much ice time as possible. His ice time dipped before he went to the Karjala Cup and at just 19 years old, wherever he can play the most in such uncertain times might be the best thing for him. That could be what the player and the agent are thinking here.
There’s also the idea that Toronto might have had extensive talks with his agent and is on board with this knowing that to ask a kid to pack up and move in the middle of a pandemic is not ideal, especially if there are no guarantees regarding this coming season and where Amirov would fit into the Maple Leafs plans.
Good News for Leafs and Amirov Fans
The good news is, Amirov, and fellow Leafs prospects Mikhail Abramov and Artur Akhtyamov have all been called into Russia’s world junior training camp beginning Nov. 29. He’ll get plenty of ice time and experience at that tournament and it should give the Leafs a good look at what they drafted and how far off he might be from coming to North American on a more permanent basis.
If he continues to walk defensemen like he did on Sunday in his return to the ice, the Leafs have a pretty talented player on their hands.
Next: Maple Leafs Prospect Mikko Lehtonen Is Headed to Toronto
