More bad news regarding top Leafs prospect Rodion Amirov
Some unfortunate news coming out of Russia on Thursday as Salavat Yulaev head coach Tomi Lamsa has suggested that Leafs prospect Rodion Amirov may not see any playing time during the upcoming KHL playoffs.
Amirov is dealing with a mystery injury, possibly related to the collarbone injury that the 20-year-old had suffered during the KHL preseason, but it could also be something else entirely. Both Amirov's KHL club and the Leafs have been pretty tight lipped about it. The one thing that we do know however, is that when he has felt good enough to play, Amirov's ice time has been extremely limited.
Perhaps the Russian winger would have been good to go in time for the KHL playoffs as they had been originally scheduled, but due to the postseason being moved up and starting directly following the Olympic Games, it appears as though there is not enough time for Amirov to heal before the playoffs begin.
As it stands, young players such as Amirov already have a hard enough time getting ice time in Russia. It's even more difficult to come by in the playoffs. Lamsa has already commented on Amirov earlier this season, stating that once his strength and conditioning were up to par, he'd be playing a lot more. After missing most of the season and the start of the playoffs, it is not likely that Amirov will be able to get his strength and conditioning up to the point that it would need to be for the postseason.
It appears as though we may have seen the last of Rodion Amirov in the KHL this season. The big question is; will he be back there next season? Or will he find himself in North America, playing big minutes for the AHL's Toronto Marlies?
