Keeping Up With SDA: Is the Door Really Closed?
Every once in a while, a former prospect who seemed to disappear from the Toronto Maple Leafs' picture suddenly shows up again. That appears to be happening with Semyon Der-Arguchintsev.
Most Leafs fans probably remember him simply as SDA. Toronto drafted him in the third round back in 2018, and he spent a couple of seasons with the Marlies before heading back to Russia. He got one NHL game with the Leafs in 2022, against Dallas, and then the door seemed to close. Except apparently it didn't.
SDA wants another shot playing in Toronto.
SDA is now 25 and wants another shot at the NHL. More specifically, he wants another shot with Toronto. His agent, Shumi Babaev, has been talking with the Leafs, and the latest indication is that something is still being worked on. SDA has even chosen not to report to his new KHL team while he waits to see whether the NHL opportunity develops.
That gets my attention. Not because I think SDA is suddenly going to walk into training camp and become the next great Maple Leafs forward. That's probably asking too much. But there is something to be said for a player who has gone away, played professional hockey for three years, and still believes he has something to prove in North America.
And he isn't coming back empty-handed. SDA has developed into more of a winger in Russia, and last season he produced 37 points in 59 KHL games. He's a playmaker, he's energetic and, according to Auston Matthews, he's not afraid to make things happen with the puck. Those are useful qualities.
Related: The Maple Leafs Have Both a Youth & a Roster Problem.
The problem of landing a space on the Maple Leafs roster is pretty obvious.
Toronto has added Nick Paul, Jack Roslovic, Colton Sissons, Teddy Blueger and Brandon Duhaime this summer. Those are players competing for exactly the kind of bottom-six minutes SDA would need to earn. There isn't an obvious vacancy waiting for him. But that's also why I find this interesting.
John Chayka has been talking about building a deeper, more versatile team. Maybe SDA doesn't fit. Or maybe a player who can actually create something offensively is worth another look, particularly if he can bring more experience and maturity than he had the first time around.
Might SDA warrant a Marlies contract?
He probably isn't coming back with any guarantees. He'll have to earn his way onto the roster. And perhaps that's the point. Sometimes a player doesn't get the first opportunity right. Sometimes he simply needs another few years to figure out what kind of player he is.
SDA appears to believe he's ready now. It would be kind of fun to find out if he's right. I have to wonder if he might get a chance on a Marlies contract, if he’d take it. That would give the organization a chance to look at him over the course of a season.