Prospect Info: Rodion Amirov discussion
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TheBeastCoast
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kerk
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- Apr 27, 2009
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one interesting thing from this article was this from SDA:
“It’s going to be easier to play in the NHL for him than in the in the AHL,” said Der-Arguchintsev.
He argued the AHL is a more difficult league to play in than the KHL and the NHL because of the number of teams that play “unstructured.”
“And that’s what makes it difficult for some players. I see him being good in NHL. He’s good in the KHL. But when he comes here in the AHL, it will be really hard for him at first. He needs to adjust to it, I think,” said Der-Arguchintsev.
BertCorbeau
F*ck cancer - RIP Fugu and Buffaloed
Not entirely wrong ... assuming Amirov can mentally process the game and keep up with the pace at the NHL level, he could thrive there. Some skilled players struggle because of the unstructured nature of the AHL and can thrive in the NHL because the skill is cleaner and the structure is better.
LaPlante94
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Yeah I've been saying for a while I feel like he'd perform better in the NHL than he would in Juniors. His first pre season was interesting because he didn't really look out of place and then he went back to Junior and wasn't really blowing us away. The question now is does he get that chance here or somewhere else.
acrobaticgoalie
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acrobaticgoalie
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I can't see it being with us. I dont see him cracking our top 6 even as a winger with the likes of Amirov, Robertson or Knies coming up and he doesn't have the right traits to be a bottom 6er and beat out guys like Abramov, Hirvonen, Steeves, Anderson imo.
It's not just SDA. Other Russians have said the same about the AHL over the years. Mainly that it's not an ideal place for skill play/development, but rather a good but difficult crash-course in the physicality of the North American style.
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The curious case of Rodion Amirov: Why isn't the Maple Leafs prospect playing more in Russia? - The Athletic
Ufa assistant coach Viktor Kozlov added more insight, telling The Athletic that part of the reason Amirov didn’t see much ice time in his first game back was due to the fact that Ufa had lost five of their previous six games leading up to Amirov’s return, and they were prioritizing righting the ship against a division opponent.
Kozlov said the immediate priority for Amirov is returning to full fitness after a long injury layoff.
“We slowly tried to bring him back into the lineup. He has not played, basically, since his third game of the season, so we’re trying to do what’s the best for the team,” Kozlov said.
His playing time remains dependent on his conditioning, which is still a work in progress.
“It’s all about getting in shape,” said Kozlov. “If he’s going to be OK, he’s going to play.”
Another common question regarding Amirov seems to be: Why isn’t he playing for the Marlies, where his development could be under the watch of the Leafs staff and, theoretically, he would be getting more ice time than he currently is with Ufa?
I asked Marlies forward Mikhail Abramov, who played alongside Amirov for Russia at the 2021 world juniors, what he would tell Amirov about the benefits of the Leafs’ oft-lauded development program.
“I’ve never had this before,” said Abramov, referring to the multiple skills coaches who work with the Marlies, and the development plans tailored to each specific player. “All I can say is you have to try it.”
Yet doing so is unlikely, at least not until Amirov’s season with Ufa ends sometime in 2022.
It’s believed that Amirov’s loan to Ufa stipulates that he cannot play in the NHL or the AHL in 2021-22 until Ufa’s season is finished.
“We are planning to keep him for the rest of the season,” said Kozlov.
This makes sense for Ufa. Why would they agree to take a talented player like Amirov on loan if he could be snatched out of their lineup at a moment’s notice?
It is further believed that the Leafs are planning for Amirov to join their organization once Ufa’s season concludes.
Ufa’s final regular-season game is March 1, 2022. They currently sit in first place in the KHL’s Chernyshev Division. Last season’s KHL playoffs ran from March 2 to April 28, 2021. The Marlies’ final regular-season game is scheduled for April 24, meaning Amirov could potentially spent his entire season in the KHL.
So, it makes sense to look forward to the end of this season as when he might make his professional debut in North America.
What happens then remains up in the air.
Ufa assistant coach Viktor Kozlov added more insight, telling The Athletic that part of the reason Amirov didn’t see much ice time in his first game back was due to the fact that Ufa had lost five of their previous six games leading up to Amirov’s return, and they were prioritizing righting the ship against a division opponent.
Kozlov said the immediate priority for Amirov is returning to full fitness after a long injury layoff.
“We slowly tried to bring him back into the lineup. He has not played, basically, since his third game of the season, so we’re trying to do what’s the best for the team,” Kozlov said.
His playing time remains dependent on his conditioning, which is still a work in progress.
“It’s all about getting in shape,” said Kozlov. “If he’s going to be OK, he’s going to play.”
Another common question regarding Amirov seems to be: Why isn’t he playing for the Marlies, where his development could be under the watch of the Leafs staff and, theoretically, he would be getting more ice time than he currently is with Ufa?
I asked Marlies forward Mikhail Abramov, who played alongside Amirov for Russia at the 2021 world juniors, what he would tell Amirov about the benefits of the Leafs’ oft-lauded development program.
“I’ve never had this before,” said Abramov, referring to the multiple skills coaches who work with the Marlies, and the development plans tailored to each specific player. “All I can say is you have to try it.”
Yet doing so is unlikely, at least not until Amirov’s season with Ufa ends sometime in 2022.
It’s believed that Amirov’s loan to Ufa stipulates that he cannot play in the NHL or the AHL in 2021-22 until Ufa’s season is finished.
“We are planning to keep him for the rest of the season,” said Kozlov.
This makes sense for Ufa. Why would they agree to take a talented player like Amirov on loan if he could be snatched out of their lineup at a moment’s notice?
It is further believed that the Leafs are planning for Amirov to join their organization once Ufa’s season concludes.
Ufa’s final regular-season game is March 1, 2022. They currently sit in first place in the KHL’s Chernyshev Division. Last season’s KHL playoffs ran from March 2 to April 28, 2021. The Marlies’ final regular-season game is scheduled for April 24, meaning Amirov could potentially spent his entire season in the KHL.
So, it makes sense to look forward to the end of this season as when he might make his professional debut in North America.
What happens then remains up in the air.
WTFMAN99
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I read the same article, feels like a giant waste of time for Amirov.
Should have just had him in the AHL this season.
His agent Dan Milstein said if he doesn’t make the Leafs he’s to be loaned to the KHL, both this and next season.
Amirov almost certainly then has a european assignment clause in his contract. So, if he doesn’t make the NHL, its up to Amirov where he plays and not the Leafs.
For better or worse i think Rodion wants nothing to do with the Marlies.
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Anthrax442
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TheBeastCoast
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LeafChief
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I completely understand the argument that the KHL isn't a development league and that the team needs to look out for it's best interest (developing players that will be there for the long haul), but if this continues, the Leafs need to pull him to North America.
Get him going with the Marlies. Have him work on his injury progress with the Leafs R+D team. Who knows, he could start to show what he showed in KHL pre-season before his injury and be a piece that we may want to use in the playoffs.
Having him miss games now that he's healthy and ready to go is not good for one of our assets.
Get him going with the Marlies. Have him work on his injury progress with the Leafs R+D team. Who knows, he could start to show what he showed in KHL pre-season before his injury and be a piece that we may want to use in the playoffs.
Having him miss games now that he's healthy and ready to go is not good for one of our assets.
WTFMAN99
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Play hockey or sit on the bench/stands scratching your balls...
I'd sure hope our top prospect would chose playing. F this khl b.s
Remember those old meat grinders our grandmother employed..
In Dubas's case, it was probably his great grandmother.....That is what he is doing now...AND, its going to work, he will deliver us the basket the cup...
Just a process now... Could be long, medium or short..
Lots of chatboard rants and raves in between.
In Dubas's case, it was probably his great grandmother.....That is what he is doing now...AND, its going to work, he will deliver us the basket the cup...
Just a process now... Could be long, medium or short..
Lots of chatboard rants and raves in between.
HockeyVirus
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Playing pro hockey at home with your family around or being halfway around the world playing lesser competition. I can see why he wants NHL or bust. If he has to be away it should be worth it.
Don't really call what he's been doing "playing hockey" tho. Scratched again. 1 min of ice time so far... If he likes that better, than well, good for him
Maplebeasts
I See Demons!!!!!
If I'm the Leafs I'm doing everything I can to get him out of there. 1 minute of icetime in his first game back and is now getting scratched despite being one of the more talented players on the roster.
Maplebeasts
I See Demons!!!!!
These answers from Kozlov are not acceptable. If the argument for sitting him is that you lost 5 of your last 6 and want to right the ship, it makes no sense to stick with the roster that's actually losing those games, furthermore you would not be sitting one of your team's most naturally talented forwards, especially when they're known for playing a strong two-way game. The Leafs lent him to UFA with the understanding that he would see minutes. They could have just kept him with the Marlies and told UFA to f*** off, but they didn't and UFA in return is not holding up their end of the bargain.
SeaOfBlue
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I feel like what he's saying is that Amirov is still not 100%, at least in terms of his conditioning, so technically they are still treating him like he is injured and not a "healthy scratch". He got into a game because KHL dresses extra forwards so having him on the bench as a 13th guy just to get in a shift or two does not really affect their core lineup.
The guy is 25-30 games behind most of his competition in terms of games played, and he really only started getting into shape last week. If they were a really good or really bad team, maybe they would be more inclined to rush him back in the lineup and let him get his legs under him while playing, like the Leafs did with Nylander a few years ago, but as a bubble team on a major skid, they couldn't afford to do that.
I am giving them until January to let him get up to speed and back into the lineup full time. That would be a month of conditioning, which should be more than enough time for him to get up to speed in at least a solid depth role.
Anthrax442
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Amirov player 3 VHL games and a bit of 2 KHL games, he should be back as much as possible to 100%
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