Toronto Maple Leafs expected to add overseas talent to round out roster, agent confirms

Semyon Der-Arguchintsev's KHL rights just changed hands again, but his actual plan hasn't moved an inch.

Agent Shumi Babaev confirmed to RB Sport that his client remains focused on signing with the Toronto Maple Leafs, despite the paperwork shuffle happening around him in Russia.

Moscow Dynamo recently traded his KHL rights to Admiral Vladivostok, a club he has no intention of actually reporting to.

Babaev was asked directly whether Ak Bars might try to trade for those rights next. "There have been no talks with Ak Bars so far," he said.

He was just as clear about Admiral's real motivation for acquiring the rights in the first place.

"Admiral understands they took him to trade for players they need, or to get money. They know Semyon won't come to them. I don't think anyone there has any illusions about that," Babaev said.

That's a pretty blunt admission for a club that technically just acquired a 25-year-old forward's rights.

Why Admiral Vladivostok won't stand in his way

Der-Arguchintsev has made his intentions clear for a while now, planning to play in North America rather than continue his KHL career.

Babaev was asked directly about the stage of talks with Toronto. "There is a certain process happening right now. I can't comment on it," he said.

That answer isn't nothing. A process being actively described, even without details, suggests real conversations are underway rather than empty speculation.

For Toronto, adding a player like this comes with almost no risk attached. His NHL rights already belong to the organization regardless of what happens in the KHL.

The KHL side of this story is really just noise at this point. Admiral picked up his rights purely as trade currency, not because they expect him to actually show up.

Whether Toronto and Der-Arguchintsev actually finalize something remains genuinely unclear, since Babaev stopped short of confirming any real progress beyond acknowledging a process exists.

But every public comment from his camp points in the same direction. North America is the plan, and Toronto is still the specific destination being worked toward.