Leafs’ Egor Korshkov Reportedly Signs in Russia

Korshkov’s Leafs Career

Drafted in 2016, Egor Korshkov was a surprise pick by the Toronto Maple Leafs. Korshkov was an overager, scoring 6 goals and 6 assists in 41 games. Korshkov also scored 8 points in 7 games at the WJC. He also dominated the MHL playoffs to help his team to the championship.

However, Korshkov was never expected to be drafted 31st overall, a pick that would now be in the first round. Most mock drafts didn’t even have him near the second round, while some put him only as high as 56th overall. The Leafs had an incredible amount of picks that year. Some expected Korshkov to have been there for some of their later picks.

Nonetheless, the Toronto Maple Leafs saw something in the 6’4 winger. The next few years wouldn’t be great, though. Korshkov would have an influx of bad luck, whether it was injury or dry spells. The most games Korshkov would play in a season after being drafted would be 2017-18, as he played 52 games with a career-high 26 points, not to mention 9 games in the playoffs.

2018-19 was a disastrous season for Korshkov. After his offense took a hit early on in the season, so did his collarbone. Korshkov missed the majority of the season due to a collarbone injury, as well as recovery from surgery. However, he did return to play 9 games for Lokomotiv in the playoffs, as well as making his AHL debut in the Calder Cup playoffs with Toronto.

It was this season, 2019-20, where Leafs fans got to see the best of Egor Korshkov. Even while plagued with injury (namely a leg laceration), Korshkov impressed. With the Marlies, Korshkov produced, scoring 16 goals and 9 assists in 44 games while also being one of the team’s most physical players.

Korshkov got his shot at the NHL, and, boy, did he take his shot. And it went in. Korshkov scored a goal in his NHL debut against the Buffalo Sabres.

Frustrating Decisions

Egor Korshkov’s tenure as a Leaf has been frustrating since he was drafted. The list of NHLers picked in the same round as him, forget in the rounds after, is incredible.

Stars: Alex DeBrincat, Carter Hart

Full-Time NHLers: Samuel Girard, Ryan Lindgren, Dylan Gambrell

Part-Time NHLers: Rasmus Asplund, Givani Smith, Dillon Dube, Carl Grundstrom, Libor Hajek, Andrew Peeke

Prospects with more NHL games played than Korshkov: Tyler Benson, Nathan Bastian, Janne Kuokkanen, Kale Clague

And that’s not even including rising prospects like Filip Gustavsson and Taylor Raddysh.

Keep in mind, Korshkov is a year older than most of those players. And now, he’s not even in the Leafs system. One frustrating decision in 2016 leads to another one in 2020, I guess.

Why Would Korshkov Sign?

It’s very easy to see why Korshkov has decided to sign in Russia, he has quite a few reasons.

Uncertainty

When is the AHL season restarting? No one really knows. If it does start, it’s going to be much later into 2021. On the other hand, KHL teams are already getting geared up to restart, with teams preparing for an early September start. Signing in Russia means Korshkov knows when he’ll play hockey, and he knows that it will be much sooner. It could also mean some more financial security with Korshkov being paid earlier. It could probably get him paid more if he didn’t expect to make the Leafs full-time next season.

Logjam Up Front

The Leafs very notably have a logjam up front. Guys like Adam Brooks are already next in line for whatever bottom-six spot opens up, much like what Pierre Engvall did.

And then there’s the seemingly infinite amount of NHL depth-calibre players playing on the Marlies that Kyle Dubas seems to sign every season.

Korshkov’s road to becoming an NHLer with the Leafs would be longer and more difficult. Instead, opting to play in the KHL might have been the better option for his career long-term.

What’s Next

Personally, I think this is the end of Egor Korshkov’s Leafs career. At this point, I don’t really see the point of trying to retain him. Korshkov’s ceiling is a bottom-six winger in the NHL, but he still has a lot of work to get to third-line-calibre.

He’ll be 25 years old by the time he’ll be able to play another game in a Leafs uniform. The Leafs are already signing and trading for depth players younger than that.

Egor Korshkov is one of the last remnants of the Mark Hunter “size first” ideology. Kyle Dubas’ mentality is closer to “draft skill, sign depth”.

The Toronto Maple Leafs can sign loads of players that can make the same impact at the NHL level. With Korshkov only getting older, there’s no need to pursue his development at this point.

Korshkov’s journey has been super frustrating. It’s clear that he has so much talent while also using his size so well, it just hasn’t really clicked for him. Injuries, along with being in the wrong place at the wrong time, are ultimately what cost him here.

Instead, Korshkov will look to take a key role with Lokomotiv Yaroslavl and go from there.

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