Quoting: Emoon
Interesting. I guess the failed Lehtonen and Barabanov experiments didn't hurt the Leafs rep
Quoting: exo2769
Right?!?! This boggles the mind. Good signing for TOR, but a bad decision by Semyonov
Quoting: Hockyluv21
Those guys still got their foot in the NHL door and seem to be doing well in their new homes. The Leafs did their job even if they didn't make it full-time with the Leafs.
Quoting: exo2769
But from the player point of view...did they??? If I'm signing as a free agent...wouldn't I want to search for a team that would provide at least a little assurances of NHL ice time. Lehtonen played 9 games out of 28. That's a fail in my book. I don't subscribe to the arsonist/fire fighter analogy of...well at least they traded him. He could have gone to CBJ before the season started.
Quoting: Gauss
Maybe no other time gave then any offers or even interested and only after seeing the few games they played with Toronto became interested. It may have been the only available step in the door to the NHL
I don't know if it's been mentioned in this thread, but it should be known that part of the Leafs' sales pitch to these guys coming from overseas is that they will find them NHL employment, be it with the Leafs or another club. They get every chance to earn their keep in the blue and white, but if the team depth doesn't leave these guys a place to play, Dubas does right by these guys and finds them a place where they'll see icetime.
I don't see why Barabanov would be upset about going to San Jose (who doesn't want to play hockey in California???) where he gets a higher role on the roster, can produce, and secure a second NHL contract.
Just because they didn't become the next Panarin and ended up on another roster doesn't mean that no European or Russian player should ever want to sign with the Leafs. If anything, it could be one of the better moves in your early career.