I think these guys (or at least Kuzmenko) will probably want the Gusev deal, meaning they sign a 1-year ELC to burn this season, then start playing next year on a 2x4.5mil contract or similar, not sure if the Leafs will want to go that route. You’re not going to get Kuzmenko for under a mil for sure, he’ll just stay with SKA who will pay him more. Maybe Ojamaki because he’s not on a great team but I’d still expect him to want a couple mil for his production this year tbh.

Ojamaki plays RW... also he has way too much skill to be wasted on the 4th...

I also dont think that TMLF is the destination.

Its not just that they dont have the cap and other teams could offer more, even for a tryout. It comes down to fit/playing time, Toronto as long as they are winning aren;t going to start plugging in overage foreigners into their top 6 in 2021-22...AND

Toronto doesn;t really have the reputation for these guys, they've seen that Lehtonen and Semyonov and a bunch of others barely got a look in, didn;t get the chances, playing time and were moved (these older guys arent coming to North America to get traded around). They see Lehtonen or Semyonov not get the NHL playing time, they think of Barbanov, who only got good after he got playing time in SJ, Mikheyev (who's had a solid 13-14 games this year) asked for a trade and will not be re-signed, or the fact that TMLF have not played a rookie at forward for 2 seasons for more than a couple games, these examples are known/seen to players and agents.

So while they would have a better chance of getting a foreign free agent in the off season, I think Toronto's prior experiences and their cap issues and their team structure work against them acquiring these bigger, more talented overage guys.

This isn;t anything new, pick a year since 2005 and you'll find a russian or a european brought over as an free agent, and 99% of the time, they/team parted unsatisfied with barely half a season of games played.... A few names that I remember besides Semyonov and Lehtonen are Soshnikov, Marchenko, Ozhiganov, Holzer, Rynnas...For every Barbanov or (goalie, dont remeber name) Gustavsson (?) who play well enough to make it multiple seasons in the NHL, but not in Toronto, theres 4-5 guys who tanked.

I just dont get why the pot of gold somehow lies somewhere else, if anything I'd put my faith in Robertson, AMirov and Abramov to fill those two spots.

I hear ya. A team like Arizona could benefit from these two. Got all the cap in the world to take flyers on players over in Europe. Much like what they did with Dimitri Jaskin, 0ne year, 3 million aav