On April 15th, the Toronto Maple Leafs announced that they have signed their 2020 first-round pick Rodion Amirov to a three-year entry-level contract (ELC).
The Toronto Maple Leafs original 2020 first-round draft pick was traded to the Carolina Hurricanes along with Patrick Marleau and a seventh-round pick in exchange for a sixth-round pick. Toronto general manager Kyle Dubas needed to fix Lou Lamoriello’s error in order to sign T.J Brodie.
Unfortunately for Kyle Dubas, getting another team to agree to buy out the Marleau contract cost Toronto their first-round pick.
Toronto was then able to acquire a 2020 first-round pick from the Pittsburgh Penguins in the six-player trade that centered around sending Kasperi Kapanen to Pittsburgh.
Toronto Maple Leafs Sign Rodion Amirov to Entry Level Contract
According to capfriendly.com, Amirov’s entry-level contract with the Maple Leafs comes with a $92,500 signing bonus and an NHL salary of $832,000, and an AHL salary of $80,000. The total cap hit to the team’s salary cap will be $925,000 for each of the three seasons.
A good thing for Kyle Dubas and Toronto Maple Leafs management is that the Amirov deal contains no performance bonuses. This will make the team’s cap management easier in years to come.
It is expected that Amirov will join the Toronto Marlies for the remainder of their season once he finishes his quarantine. While he is with the Marlies, he will work with Toronto’s developmental staff.
The plan for next season is to have Amirov return to Salavat Yulaev Ufa of the KHL. Toronto’s Developmental staff will work closely with Ufa staff on Amirov’s development next season. According to Sportsnet’s Chris Johnston, Amirov will also return to Russia for the 2022-23 season if he does not make the Toronto Maple Leafs roster that season.
Expect the #leafs to loan Rodion Amirov to the KHL for the 2021-22 season. He'll be back in Russia again in 2022-23 if not on the NHL roster.
— Chris Johnston (@reporterchris) April 15, 2021
So, the best-case scenario likely would be Amirov playing with the Toronto Maple Leafs in the 2022-23 season. If for some reason he’s not ready for the NHL by then, we will likely have to wait until the 2023-24 season to see Amirov become an NHL regular.
This season, Amirov recorded nine goals and four assists for 13 points in 39 games played. This was the 19-year-old’s second season with games played at the KHL level. He played in 21 games for Ufa last season, but only recorded two assists.
In nine playoff games for Salavat Yulaev Ufa this season, Amirov failed to register a point. He then joined Tolpar Ufa of the MHL for their playoff run. He was able to record three assists for them in five playoff games. (Eliteprospects.com).
His 2020-21 season will now see him travel to North America to finish the season with the Toronto Marlies. Once the Marlies season is over, Amirov will spend the summer working with the Toronto Maple Leafs developmental staff before he returns to Russia.