Semyon Der-Argunchintsev's career is in purgatory right now, as there's been no word about him coming to North America despite previous reports he wants to come back.
Der-Arguchintsev, 25, put up a combined 37 points in 59 games for both Traktor Chelyabinsk and Dynamo Moskva last season.
The former 76th overall pick in 2018, Der-Arguchintsev was reported to want to come back to North America after three years in Russia, but then quickly turned around and said he wanted to remain in the KHL, per his agent Shumi Babayev:
If there is a good offer from the KHL, we will consider it, because the time is already approaching. [Regarding his NHL future] There is simply no room in [sic] the team [Toronto], the application is complete and you need to move the players. The club is not considering the exchange, they want to keep it.
Der-Arguchintsev's career in limbo as Maple Leafs leave no room for him
Translated from Russian, the general sentiment around Babayev's comments is that the Maple Leafs have no room for him on the NHL roster, but are too keen on keeping him in the fold so aren't in a rush to get rid of his rights.
Babayev also expected a resolution by the end of last week but there's still no news - so it's genuinely up in the air.
Toronto revamped their entire bottom-six this summer, investing heavily in adding defensive forward who can aid in penalty killing and take tough minutes off stars. Moskva hasn't offered him a chance to come back - at least not publicly - and as Babayev stated, they would consider any good offer should it come around.
It would not be unfamiliar territory for Der-Arguchintsev to come to North America as he does have experience at the junior, AHL, and NHL level; he just got overlooked in recent years and wanted to raise his stock in Russia. But in doing so, the Maple Leafs seemed to forget who they had, and didn't think to leave some room for a returning player hungry for the NHL once again.
Maple Leafs timeline to decide on Der-Arguchintsev coincides with Auston Matthews' free agency
However, the team will need to make a decision on him soon, as the team only holds his draft rights through the 2027-28 season. Now, for Maple Leafs fans, that timeframe is all too familiar to those who have been following all summer - it's when Auston Matthews' contract is up.
Not only his, but also at least 10 other deals that all expire due to John Chayka's short-term bid to win and compete while he still has time. At that point, we may get a much clearer idea of where the Maple Leafs view Der-Arguchintsev going forward. They will have lost a lot of their bottom-six by that point (at least in terms of contract length), so there is going to be room for him.
If we see Toronto end up making the choice to bring Der-Arguchintsev back to the team, then Babayev's comments regarding the team's unwillingness to trade his rights will be validated without a doubt.
But if they decide to go with the alternative route again, and load up their team without a proper spot for him, then we may see them decide to move on and get at least some assets for his rights.
Either way, the Maple Leafs only have a bit of time to figure out what they want to do with Der-Arguchintsev, as he himself figures out what is going to be best for his career going forward.
Should the Maple Leafs sign Semyon Der-Arguchintsev and bring him back to Toronto?
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