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Toronto Maple Leafs Open Free Agency by Signing Samsonov

By Jeremy Ridgewell

WASHINGTON, DC - MAY 13: Ilya Samsonov #30 of the Washington Capitals looks on against the Florida Panthers during the third period in Game Six of the First Round of the 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Capital One Arena on May 13, 2022 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC - MAY 13: Ilya Samsonov #30 of the Washington Capitals looks on against the Florida Panthers during the third period in Game Six of the First Round of the 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Capital One Arena on May 13, 2022 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images) /
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The free agency period of the off-season is now upon us, and the Toronto Maple Leafs made a couple of signings.

Toronto Maple Leafs general manager Kyle Dubas started the day with $6.37 million in cap space and wasted little time in getting a deal done.

The fans didn’t have to wait long as Toronto announced the signing of Ilya Samsonov shortly after the market opened. Samsonov signed for one year at $1.8 million. He will become a restricted free agent after this season, so Toronto will still own his rights.

Toronto’s newest goalie finished the season with a 23-12-5 in 44 games with a .896 SV% and a 3.02 GAA. Samsonov will compete with Matt Murray for starting goaltending duties in Toronto.  At 25 years old, Samsonov’s best days are ahead of him.
(Stats from hockey-reference.com)

Toronto Maple Leafs Continue Their Free Agent Signings

The Samsonov signing was good for their first move of the day. However, the Toronto Maple Leafs did not stop there. They then signed right winger Nicolas Aube-Kubel.

Dubas has done well in the past with bargain shopping in free agency. He does so again with the signing of Aube-Kubel to a one-year deal for $1 million.

Aube-Kuble recorded 11 goals and 12 assists for 23 points in 74 games.   During the Colorado Avalanche’s run to winning the Stanley Cup, Aube-Kuble  played in 14 games.

Toronto made Adam Gaudette their third signing of the day. He recorded five goals and nine assists for 14 points in 58 games last season. The deal is for one year at $750,000. He will become an RFA at the end of the 2022-23 season and will be eligible for arbitration.

At 4:14 pm, Kevin Weekes reported that the Toronto Maple Leafs were signing Denis Malgin. The deal has yet to be confirmed by the team. Not sure why Toronto would sign Malgin, though clearly they like him, having now acquired him twice.

The Leafs have added three depth forwards, and they will presumably compete along with the likes of Nick Robertson, Joey Anderson, Wayne Simmonds, Kyle Clifford and perhaps some Marlies or future signings, to play along David Kampf and Pierre Engvall in the Leafs bottom-six.

Next. Leafs Smartly Solve Goalie Issue. dark

I don’t think the day was as sensational as many fans would have liked, but Dubas added some of the pieces he needed to add. He was able to add another goaltender and some roster depth. With just over $2 million in available cap space left, Dubas might be working on a trade to free up some more. He told reporters he wasn’t done yet, so we’ll see what else he’s able to do.

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