F Rodion Amirov (2020, 15th, TOR) - tragically passed away due to brain tumor 8/14/23

[wings5]

I think he's saying we'd give him prime minutes in the AHL.

Probably, but Amirov's KHL experience is limited I think at least another year is good for him. Best case if he can go straight from the KHL to the NHL also.

 

[SoundAndFury]

I mean the guy was injured for most of the season. "Prime minutes" comments are pretty detached from reality considering how the season went.

 

[Morgs]

I mean the guy was injured for most of the season. "Prime minutes" comments are pretty detached from reality considering how the season went.

He's healthy. One of the best 9 forwards on Ufa. He's not playing. It's simple.

Let's hope he comes over the Marlies as soon as the KHL playoffs are over and never goes back.

 

[Hanji]

He's healthy. One of the best 9 forwards on Ufa. He's not playing. It's simple.

Let's hope he comes over the Marlies as soon as the KHL playoffs are over and never goes back.

I wouldn't get my hopes up.
Prime minutes or not, the AHL seems like it’s a joke to KHLrs.
The good majority of Russians in the AHL are guys who come straight from the CHL or have yet to establish themselves in the KHL like Amirov has.

 

[SoundAndFury]

He's healthy. One of the best 9 forwards on Ufa. He's not playing. It's simple.

He missed 3/4 of the season due to injury and after coming back got thrown under the bus by Ufa media for basically avoiding contact. So yes, it is simple. His shape was nowhere near "prime minutes". And he wasn't in the lineup for one game yet you make a big deal of him "not playing". That's a clueless, terrible take all around.

 

[Morgs]

He missed 3/4 of the season due to injury and after coming back got thrown under the bus by Ufa media for basically avoiding contact. So yes, it is simple. His shape was nowhere near "prime minutes". And he wasn't in the lineup for one game yet you make a big deal of him "not playing". That's a clueless, terrible take all around.

Nah its clueless to believe good players shouldn't be playing good minutes when they're healthy. Makes no sense not playing one of your best 9 players and having your coach say "I don't see a spot for him in the lineup" and think that's the best place for his development.

 

[Zine]

Nah its clueless to believe good players shouldn't be playing good minutes when they're healthy. Makes no sense not playing one of your best 9 players and having your coach say "I don't see a spot for him in the lineup" and think that's the best place for his development.

I think it's obvious by now he's not fully healthy. Amirov has been avoiding physicality like the plague since his return. He wasn't like this pre-injury this year.

If he was in the AHL he's likely receive similar treatment considering it's a more physical style of game. I'd hate to think they'd force him into something he's not quite ready for.

 

[WTFMAN99]

I think it's obvious by now he's not fully healthy. Amirov has been avoiding physicality like the plague since his return. He wasn't like this pre-injury this year.

If he was in the AHL he's likely receive similar treatment considering it's a more physical style of game. I'd hate to think they'd force him into something he's not quite ready for.

Having a bit more time to heal now, hopefully when Olympics are done he will feel ready.

 

[Rufus T Firefly]

KHL playoffs should be a good test to see where he's at and what his place on the team is.

 

[Knies iT]

He missed 3/4 of the season due to injury and after coming back got thrown under the bus by Ufa media for basically avoiding contact. So yes, it is simple. His shape was nowhere near "prime minutes". And he wasn't in the lineup for one game yet you make a big deal of him "not playing". That's a clueless, terrible take all around.

He played 3 VHL games before his Ufa debut. He was in game-shape.

Might not be 100% fully healthy, but he was training off-ice conditioning a month+ prior to his return. Different than game shape but it's not as if he came in completely cold after his VHL stint.

If Russians who are allergic to physicality like Abramov, SDA, etc. can thrive with the Marlies, than so can Amirov. Despite the track record being better in the KHL, the Leafs are a unique development org. that actually prioritize AHL playing time and progression over veteran minutes. Ufa is doing the complete opposite. Even Robertson is already back in the lineup playing after a more severe, longer injury than Amirov.

 

[Morgs]

Dubas has made it clear we'll see an update on this soon. Not like he can come out and trash Ufa for what they've been doing with Amirov but I can't imagine they're actually happy at all with how he's been handled since being healthy again. If he's healthy enough to play at all, he should be playing more than a minute or two a game. Simple. The entire argument against this makes no sense and isn't even a thought process outside of the KHL.

I know the AHL isn't ideal for a Russian top-prospect like Amirov who *should* be getting top-6/9 minutes in the KHL, but at this point if he wants a shot at a future NHL career he can't let a full season go to waste in what is one of his more important development seasons. Even if that means AHL now, and back to the KHL next season I'm good with it. Hopefully it's AHL > NHL though and has a full summer with the Leafs training and skills staff.

 

[Fogelhund]

Reading this, suggests that there might be some health issues....

 

[Boondock]

I think it's obvious by now he's not fully healthy. Amirov has been avoiding physicality like the plague since his return. He wasn't like this pre-injury this year.

If he was in the AHL he's likely receive similar treatment considering it's a more physical style of game. I'd hate to think they'd force him into something he's not quite ready for.

I like the prospect and he is very talented. My biggest red flag with Amirov since his draft year has been that physical play can throw him off his game. I haven't seen him play since his return from injury so I am not speaking to the past week or so - just an observation after watching him a few times over the years. I think he will need to become more comfortable with physical play before he will be an impactful NHLer.

 

[Rufus T Firefly]

Dubas has made it clear we'll see an update on this soon. Not like he can come out and trash Ufa for what they've been doing with Amirov but I can't imagine they're actually happy at all with how he's been handled since being healthy again. If he's healthy enough to play at all, he should be playing more than a minute or two a game. Simple. The entire argument against this makes no sense and isn't even a thought process outside of the KHL.

I know the AHL isn't ideal for a Russian top-prospect like Amirov who *should* be getting top-6/9 minutes in the KHL, but at this point if he wants a shot at a future NHL career he can't let a full season go to waste in what is one of his more important development seasons. Even if that means AHL now, and back to the KHL next season I'm good with it. Hopefully it's AHL > NHL though and has a full summer with the Leafs training and skills staff.

I never get why there's this need for exaggeration on here when it comes to playing time in the KHL. He played exactly one game wth one minute of ice time, and that was his first game back from injury. Otherwise he has averaged around 11.45 per game (if I calculated correctly), which really isn't all that bad considering his season and the team he's on.

I'll be honest I don't really watch Ufa all that much so I don't really know the team dynamics, but it might be a blessing for him that the rest of the regular season is cancelled and he'll have a few more weeks to recover since it sounds like he's not fully back to normal. If he's fully healthy by then, the KHL playoffs should be a much better measurement of where he's at. The regular season can be much more managed in terms of ice time and usage than the playoffs where the best players are played more. So if he is a top 6/9 player on Salavat, he should be able to prove it then.

Besides, I think it's usually probably a good experience for prospects to have to fight their way into the top 6 and PP units in the KHL first. When they go over to NA, they might get gifted top minutes in the AHL, but I'm almost certain that won't happen with him on the Leafs. Much better to go through these types of struggles at home first in a setting he's familiar with than in a foreign language on another continent on a new team with a different playing style. He's a fun player to watch, so I hope it works out for him.

 

[Zine]

I like the prospect and he is very talented. My biggest red flag with Amirov since his draft year has been that physical play can throw him off his game. I haven't seen him play since his return from injury so I am not speaking to the past week or so - just an observation after watching him a few times over the years. I think he will need to become more comfortable with physical play before he will be an impactful NHLer.

What's cool is he apparently worked really hard on strength training this offseason. It was noticable in the few pre-season games early in the year. He looked really good playing on top lines. But since returning from injury it's back to the old Amirov. The coach was even asked in press conferences why he's avoiding contact.

Something isn't right, whatever it is. During this recent break all the young guys on Salavat were sent to the VHL for playing time, but not Amirov.

 

[Boondock]

What's cool is he apparently worked really hard on strength training this offseason. It was noticable in the few pre-season games early in the year. He looked really good playing on top lines. But since returning from injury it's back to the old Amirov. The coach was even asked in press conferences why he's avoiding contact.

Something isn't right, whatever it is. During this recent break all the young guys on Salavat were sent to the VHL for playing time, but not Amirov.

Thanks for the info. I try to watch as much of the top prospects as possible, but it’s not as easy with the guys playing over seas. He has a lot of skill the fact he is working on his strength is good news for the Leafs.

 

[Hanji]

What's cool is he apparently worked really hard on strength training this offseason. It was noticable in the few pre-season games early in the year. He looked really good playing on top lines. But since returning from injury it's back to the old Amirov. The coach was even asked in press conferences why he's avoiding contact.

Something isn't right, whatever it is. During this recent break all the young guys on Salavat were sent to the VHL for playing time, but not Amirov.

Why is getting information so difficult? This shouldn't be this big of an issue. It's kind of ridiculous actually.

 

[Morgs]

I never get why there's this need for exaggeration on here when it comes to playing time in the KHL. He played exactly one game wth one minute of ice time, and that was his first game back from injury. Otherwise he has averaged around 11.45 per game (if I calculated correctly), which really isn't all that bad considering his season and the team he's on.

I'll be honest I don't really watch Ufa all that much so I don't really know the team dynamics, but it might be a blessing for him that the rest of the regular season is cancelled and he'll have a few more weeks to recover since it sounds like he's not fully back to normal. If he's fully healthy by then, the KHL playoffs should be a much better measurement of where he's at. The regular season can be much more managed in terms of ice time and usage than the playoffs where the best players are played more. So if he is a top 6/9 player on Salavat, he should be able to prove it then.

Besides, I think it's usually probably a good experience for prospects to have to fight their way into the top 6 and PP units in the KHL first. When they go over to NA, they might get gifted top minutes in the AHL, but I'm almost certain that won't happen with him on the Leafs. Much better to go through these types of struggles at home first in a setting he's familiar with than in a foreign language on another continent on a new team with a different playing style. He's a fun player to watch, so I hope it works out for him.

The issue isn't the lack of ice time in game. Overall 10+ minutes/game isnt bad for a 20 year old in the KHL. I mean, he's too good to be playing that little, but the issue is that he's been only playing every so often.

The coach was quoted saying "I don't see a spot for him in the lineup" after he scratched him a few times. It doesn't make sense as he's *easily* one of their best 9 forwards. If he's injured or sick that's one thing and we have no news about that. We saw him get scratched for ??? reasons and that just doesn't make sense. It's as simple as play him (if healthy) or bring him to NA at this point.

 

[Zine]

The issue isn't the lack of ice time in game. Overall 10+ minutes/game isnt bad for a 20 year old in the KHL. I mean, he's too good to be playing that little, but the issue is that he's been only playing every so often.

The coach was quoted saying "I don't see a spot for him in the lineup" after he scratched him a few times. It doesn't make sense as he's *easily* one of their best 9 forwards. If he's injured or sick that's one thing and we have no news about that. We saw him get scratched for ??? reasons and that just doesn't make sense. It's as simple as play him (if healthy) or bring him to NA at this point.

What now?

Salavat's coach has said from the beginning that he's hesitant to play Amirov because injury recovery is slow. His commment "I don't see a spot for him in the lineup" wasn't made in a vacuum.

 

[Zine]

Why is getting information so difficult? This shouldn't be this big of an issue. It's kind of ridiculous actually.

Because teams aren't obliged to release anything. Similar to a player's salary, medical issues are none of the public's business. It's sort of a cultural difference between NA and a lot of Europe.

But since I have the time, a 5 minute online search will get you the answer. He's having residual problems from a concussion:


----"We don’t know exactly the problem of Rodion Amirov, but it's the consequence of a concussion received in the preseason. While we don’t know specifically what's wrong, the doctors are trying to figure it out. It's bad for him and bad for the team."----
Лямся: Хартикайнен в отличной форме, к нему нет вопросов

This is certainly what the guy from the Maple Leafs was talking about when he said they were working with Salavat on getting him healthy again.
Makes sense why Ufa is taking it super, super slow with Amirov.

 

[SoundAndFury]

The issue isn't the lack of ice time in game. Overall 10+ minutes/game isnt bad for a 20 year old in the KHL. I mean, he's too good to be playing that little, but the issue is that he's been only playing every so often.

I asked this before but what are you going on about? Other than the last game against Riga, all the games he has missed were obviously health/conditioning related. And even that last one might as well be, as there are more and more signs he's not completely healthy. Yet you keep on banging your drum how he "only plays ever so often".

It's sort of a cultural difference between NA and a lot of Europe.

And even that difference isn't exactly huge considering how many "lower/upper body injuries" are there in the NHL with an "indefinite" timeline.

 

[Peasy]

Scary stuff. Hope it isn't anything too serious and he has a quick and full recovery.

 

[SoundAndFury]

He's healthy.

Yep.

 

[SI90]

This is heartbreaking. Never want to see something like this. Hope the kid can get the proper treatment and pull through.

 

[waitin425]

Watched Amirov play in the summit series. Kid has legit skill. Wishing for a speedy recovery.