Leafs sign young forward, but it's not who fans were hoping for.

Not quite what they were expecting.

HockeyFeed
HockeyFeed
Published 5 years ago
Leafs sign young forward, but it's not who fans were hoping for.
Bruce Bennett / Getty Images

The Toronto Maple Leafs announced an important signing on Friday night but unfortunately given the current situation the Leafs find themselves in the news was met with a great deal of disappointment from the Maple Leafs' fan base.

Well into the night, in fact well after their 5 - 3 victory over the Buffalo Sabres in preseason action, the Leafs proudly announced the signing of 18 year old forward Semyon Der-Arguchintsev. The timing of the announcement was likely no coincidence either, the Leafs were coming a solid win in preseason action and it also just so happened to be the very same night that Der-Arguchintsev was making his debut in the National Hockey League debut. It seems fair to say that the Leafs liked what they saw from Der-Arguchintsev in preseason action as he was awarded with a three year entry-level contract.

Unfortunately for the Maple Leafs the timing of the move also resulted in quite a bit of backlash from fans of the organization due to the current contract status of some of the organizations bigger names, specifically that of forward William Nylander. In spite of constant assurances and reassurances from Toronto Maple Leafs general manager Kyle Dubas there has been what appears to be a steadily increasing number of doubters when it comes to his master plan for the future of the Leafs organization and it was that segment of the fan base that seemed to be fueling the negativity surrounding the announcement of Der-Arguchintsev's signing. 

It's hard to blame those fans too much though given how quickly the 2018 - 2019 NHL regular season is approaching. Nylander, one of the organizations top forwards, one that was expected to remain a core competent of the organization for many years to come, remains a restricted free agent. Nylander is almost unquestionably the biggest RFA on the market without a contract and with rumors suggesting that the two sides may be as far apart as $2 million per season the anxiety from the fan base is palpable.

You have to feel for Der-Arguchintsev however, Friday was likely one of the biggest days of his life both on and off the ice and there's no doubt in my mind that the young man would have felt much better if the announcement of his signing had been met with universal praise. Der-Arguchintsev was Toronto's third round draft selection in the 2018 NHL Entry Draft and for him to so quickly have made an impression on the Maple Leafs' upper management group speaks to just how badly this young man wants to be a member of the organization, it would truly be a shame if the negativity surrounding his signing were to get back to him.

That being said though the young Russian did seem happy, and perhaps more than a little nervous as well, in the photo that was provided by the Maple Leafs of the actual signing itself and general manager Kyle Dubas also seemed pleased with the move. It seems likely that Der-Arguchintsev will now return to the Ontario Hockey League were he will compete in his third season as a member of the Peterborough Petes and his future in the NHL will likely largely depend on just how much of an impression he's made on the Leafs' thus far and how well he is able to manage the expectations that the Leafs' will now have for his development.

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