Toronto Maple Leafs: Tonight’s Glaring Lack of SDA

The Toronto Maple Leafs will finally play their first organized contest of ice hockey tonight as they kick off their preseason in Lucan, Ontario.

This is all well and good.

Sure, fans will catch the first glimpse of a blue and white clad John Tavares in full, glorious action. Sure, they’ll witness the initial returns of a Tavares-Mitch Marner partnership appearing destined for a lucrative future. And sure, they’ll even be front and centre to experience the most underrated prospect in the entire Leafs’ system, Trevor Moore.

But, does any of that truly matter? Not after today.

Alas, one name is noticeably absent from the list above. Perhaps, unforgivably so. Because despite multiple reports hinting – nay, promising – otherwise, the Leafs will indeed decline to feature the services of SDA in tonight’s matchup.

And if that’s the case, what’s even the point?

Semyon Der-Arguchintsev, who celebrated his 18th birthday just three days ago on the last possible date to maintain his 2018 NHL Entry Draft eligibility, is the player in question here. A third-round pick, the talented youngster is quickly endearing himself to all who watch, wiggling his way into the hearts of Leafs fans far and wide immediately upon arrival to become something of a proverbial son.

It’s hard not to root for the kid, really.

Buried on a putrid Peterborough Petes team for all of last season, SDA nevertheless finished with totals of 51 points in 68 games, impressive production from a 17-year-old playmaker with no one to pass to. His potential is enticing, gesturing towards the perfect underdog story.

SDA is minuscule in stature, even when judging him off of the typical build of a teenager. Standing tall at 5’10 and weighing in at 159 pounds, he’s far and away the lightest player attending Leafs camp, not to mention the youngest as well.

And while SDA’s future will certainly see him confined to within the walls of a gym for countless hours on end, his underwhelming frame is what allowed the Leafs to nab him in the third round in the first place.

Then, of course, there’s the Dubas factor.

Purely from an asset management perspective, SDA symbolizes the precise departure in draft strategy taken by Dubas than was previously seen under Mark Hunter. Whereas Hunter spent his late-round fliers on a hulking group of moderate-floor defenders, Dubas deploys the opposite method, prioritizing high-ceiling prospects while eschewing the question of size in favour of skill.

Will SDA ever make the NHL? Honestly, likely not.

Ignoring for a moment that his game bears more than its fair share of flaws, were SDA to eventually succeed in challenging for a big-league job, that day almost certainly won’t arrive for another three years, at least.

Who knows what can and will change between now and then?

Nevertheless, it’s these later-round gambles on talented, albeit physically challenged, prospects that repeatedly prove worthwhile. SDA may face a long road ahead, but the rewards sitting at his finish line are more lucrative than most.

Frankly, it comes as both a shock and a credit to his performance that SDA remains eligible to even suit up tonight at all.

As the Leafs announced their first wave of training camp cuts over the weekend, large swaths of junior-eligible attendees were, as expected, returned to their respective junior teams. SDA, however, was not, as the pint-sized Pete seemingly made enough of an impression on the notoriously height-crazed Mike Babcock to warrant an extended stay.

Clearly, the Leafs are keeping SDA around for the purpose of seeing what they have. And, well, it’s pretty hard to see what you have in a player when he’s SITTING IN THE PRESS BOX.

It’s the preseason! Take some risks!

Emerson Clark, expected to occupy SDA’s spot in tonight’s lineup, is 25-years-old. He’s not a prospect anymore and, barring an unprecedented leap in post-peak ability, has probably already put forth the best of what he has to offer.

SDA may be a mystery box, but that’s exactly what the preseason is designed for.

He impressed in the rookie tournament. He impressed in camp. Why can’t he impress in the preseason too? The kid can do this, for Pete’s sake!

Yes, this may be a trivial complaint, but it wouldn’t truly be a Leafs season without some bottom of the lineup nitpicking. Hockey is back, folks!

Thanks for reading!

Stats courtesy of eliteprospects.com.

Footage & gifs courtesy of RDS.