Former Leaf debunks the idea that he left out of frustration, compliments the Leafs and especially Jason Spezza
When the puck dropped to open the Leafs' 2021-22 season, it was expected that Russian forward Kirill Semyonov would have a shot to challenge for a full-time roster spot with the Buds. Ultimately, Semyonov found his way into just 3 games for the Leafs and his contract was subsequently terminated to allow him to return to the KHL.
While many had assumed that the split was fueled by frustration on the part of Semyonov, it actually couldn't be further from the truth. Semyonov confirmed that the split was actually pre-planned and completely amicable. He also had nothing but great things to say about the Leafs organization.
The opportunities that the Leafs have provided to European free agents are why the Buds seemingly have an edge when it comes to signing these FA's. I think, above all else, it's Kyle Dubas being forthright with these players and their agents up front, committing to either giving them an opportunity with the Leafs or find them an opportunity elsewhere that gives them a good chance of getting some playing time at the NHL level. Dubas has done this with Alexander Barabanov as well, moving him to San Jose last year, where he has played a significant number of games this season.
| POLL | ||
MAI 12 | 461 ANSWERS Former Leaf debunks the idea that he left out of frustration, compliments the Leafs and especially Jason Spezza When Jason Spezza retires, should the Leafs offer him an immediate player development job? | ||
| Yes | 419 | 90.9 % |
| No | 42 | 9.1 % |
| List of polls | ||
