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

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Ecstatic for this pick.

Off to a great start in the KHL this season with 5 points in 10GP. One of the highest IQ players in the teens and isn't even small at 6'0. LW is an organizational weakness for the Leafs up front, so this addresses that need. Many neutral fans had Amirov in their pre-draft top 12 and Leaf fans were pretty high on him as an option at 15.

If there's one thing you can't question Dubas on, it's his drafting. This feels like the Sandin pick on draft day in terms of the fan response.
 
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TheImpatientPanther said:
Leaf fans are happy with this pick?
Schneider would have been solid for you guys imo.
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I would have been happy with Schneider later in the draft but I was nervous about whether his size at a young age made him look better than he would be against other men.

Was hoping for Lundell or Mercer but Amirov wasn’t far behind.

Good luck in the K this year kid! We will see you in a few.
 
Can’t say I’m happy given the quality of the players still on the board (and who I’m more familiar with), but I trust our scouting staff and he seems like a fun guy to follow his development.
 
Reading back a bit...
Size aside, he kinda sounds like a Kulemin....solely off the idea that someone said he has possession, vision and drive... but alot of time you're left saying "ohh damn, almost/close" so much that it becomes his game.
Let's hope he isnt a player that does almost everything right, except the most important.
 
Amirov is a good pick but because he's Russian on top of being 18, not only will he not enter the league for a few years, that may turn into a few more years if his club can convince him to sign a multi-year pro deal, we could be looking further down the line even than most other kids in the same class with him.

Which I think shows a lot of confidence on Dubas' part. You would suspect that he's on a bit of a timer to win. If that does not happen, Amirov will arrive long after he is gone. But Dubas is betting on himself. And that has to be respected.
 
TMLFC said:
Reading back a bit...
Size aside, he kinda sounds like a Kulemin....solely off the idea that someone said he has possession, vision and drive... but alot of time you're left saying "ohh damn, almost/close" so much that it becomes his game.
Let's hope he isnt a player that does almost everything right, except the most important.
Click to expand...

Kulemin was a good player. But he was never really a play driver or a creator, which is the big distinction. He didn’t have the puckhandling ability of Amirov and was more of a grinding finisher/complimentary piece. I don’t think they’re comparable at all.

I also think it may be a tad harsh expecting a rather skinny 18 year old to come in and produce in the 2nd best league in the world. The fact that he even played there and looked good is promising. Hoping for the best for this one, haven’t seen him a ton obviously.
 
I was hoping the Leafs might take Schneider. But from all accounts, it sounds like Amirov is a very promising forward prospect and teams have learned over the years that picking the best available player is the right thing to do. So I'm content with this pick.
 
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kabidjan18 said:
Amirov is a good pick but because he's Russian on top of being 18, not only will he not enter the league for a few years, that may turn into a few more years if his club can convince him to sign a multi-year pro deal, we could be looking further down the line even than most other kids in the same class with him.

Which I think shows a lot of confidence on Dubas' part. You would suspect that he's on a bit of a timer to win. If that does not happen, Amirov will arrive long after he is gone. But Dubas is betting on himself. And that has to be respected.
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scouting reports on Amirov are he most likely can step into the NHL next year. If so the Kapanen deal added two ELC contracts for the roster next year. Pretty nice work by a GM if you ask me.
 
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BobClarkesfrontteeth said:
scouting reports on Amirov are he most likely can step into the NHL next year. If so the Kapanen deal added two ELC contracts for the roster next year. Pretty nice work by a GM if you ask me.
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You mean next year as in January or October?

Either way...probably not. Even if you thought he had a shot to be ready, he's going to sign likely a 2 year deal with Ufa this upcoming spring. It's a movie we've seen over and over again and there's no reason to suspect this would be different.
 
kabidjan18 said:
You mean next year as in January or October?

Either way...probably not. Even if you thought he had a shot to be ready, he's going to sign likely a 2 year deal with Ufa this upcoming spring. It's a movie we've seen over and over again and there's no reason to suspect this would be different.
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2021 - 2022 season. Read the reports before the leafs drafted him. Everything I read was Washington was his most likely destination and the feeling was he would move to NA in the 2021-2022 season. Things change all the time so who knows but the Leafs have a very strong network over there.
 
BobClarkesfrontteeth said:
2021 - 2022 season. Read the reports before the leafs drafted him. Everything I read was Washington was his most likely destination and the feeling was he would move to NA in the 2021-2022 season. Things change all the time so who knows but the Leafs have a very strong network over there.
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Moving to NA and stepping into the NHL are two different things, Kravstov did the former not the latter. Russian agents and Russian players are typically very insistent that their clients develop at home. Maybe the word around his camp is slightly different. We'll see. I wouldn't bank on it, but his camp would know, or at least have a projection.
 
kabidjan18 said:
Moving to NA and stepping into the NHL are two different things, Kravstov did the former not the latter. Russian agents and Russian players are typically very insistent that their clients develop at home. Maybe the word around his camp is slightly different. We'll see. I wouldn't bank on it, but his camp would know, or at least have a projection.
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Well Dubas noted that in the post draft interview that Amirov's contract expires in the KHL after this year and they've had discussions about bringing him over. The Marlies have done a phenomenal job developing quality young players for the Leafs in the past few seasons and having him living and adjusting to Toronto life while playing in an arguably easier development league will be a boost. I also think that by the beginning of the 21-22 season, Amirov should have enough bulk and refinement to his game that he could potentially make a serious push to be on the Leafs.

Looking at the kids highlights, I see a ton of Auston Matthews' game in there. The way he protects the puck along the boards with his body and separates defenders, the way he uses his edges to get around guys and quickly change direction. The way he hangs on to the puck after entering the zone and weaves around looking for easy passing options. Everything he does make me really think that this guy will fit on Auston's line perfectly. Add on an elite puck retriever in Hyman and you might have an elite 2 way possession line. Now this kid loves to pass the puck and Auston Matthews loves to shoot the puck. If he can learn to finish plays in close and clean up in front of the net, he's going to be Auston's dream linemate. Homerun pick by the Leafs. This kid may not be the next Kucherov but he can be the next Ondrej Palat and to me that's a massive win. Teams need guys like Palat to play a solid 2 way game and chip in offensively when needed while providing elite skills to complement guys like Matthews/ Marner/ Nylander.
 
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