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Toronto Maple Leafs: A Make or Break Year For Ilya Samsonov

By Mitchell Hartman

May 4, 2023; Toronto, Ontario, CANADA; Toronto Maple Leafs goaltender Ilya Samsonov (35) goes to make a save during warm up before game two of the second round of the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs against the Florida Panthers at Scotiabank Arena. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports
May 4, 2023; Toronto, Ontario, CANADA; Toronto Maple Leafs goaltender Ilya Samsonov (35) goes to make a save during warm up before game two of the second round of the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs against the Florida Panthers at Scotiabank Arena. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Toronto Maple Leafs most recent acquisition (that of course being the Martin Jones signing) got me thinking about their goaltending and their future between the pipes.

The Toronto Maple Leafs currently have some of the best goalie depth in the NHL, with 3 goalies (now 4 with Martin Jones) who are all, at the very minimum, NHL-calibre goalies.

One goalie here stands out the most to me, that being Ilya Samsonov. Samsonov had a solid 2022-23 season, but this upcoming one could be even more crucial.

Here is a goalie who played well last year for the Toronto Maple Leafs but was inconsistent at times as well, and with his recent arbitration filing, showing a clear difference in price between him and the Leafs, as well as the emergence from Joseph Woll, this season could be a make or break for Samsonov.

Toronto Maple Leafs: A Make or Break Year For Ilya Samsonov

Ilya Samsonov put up a very solid .919 SV% and 2.33 GAA for the Leafs last season, but followed it up with a not-so-spectacular playoffs. (stats: nhl.com)

Samsonov, now 26, has signed back-to-back 1-year contracts (to be fair, one was arbitration) with the Leafs. He is still a somewhat young age, but this season could be one of, if not his last, to earn himself a big contract.

As mentioned before, the recent arbitration filing shows the Leafs lack some trust in Samsonov, as their offer of $2.4 million was almost half as much as Samsonov’s $4.9 million offer.

Another thing is the emergence of rookie goalie Joseph Woll, who has been lights out so far in his first games as a Leaf.

With Woll being paid only $775K for the next two seasons, he could easily be one of the best bargains in the entire NHL. If he continues his strong play, there’s a strong chance he’s the Leafs  starting goalie by the end of this season.

In short, it’s unlikely Ilya Samsonov is a member of the Leafs in 2024-25.

However, unless he completely flops, he’ll easily get a new contract on a new team, the question is will it be a long-term deal or another 1-year?

There are 2 likely scenarios, the first one being is he has his best season yet and prices himself out of Toronto, similar to Jack Campbell a few years back.

The second one is Samsonov plays average and Joseph Woll starts to get the trust of the team, thus earning him more playing time. This will likely result in Samsonov being replaced by another goalie, and earning him a shorter deal with a new team.

Regardless, it is a huge season for Samsonov coming up.

Next. The Great TML Re-Draft. dark

Let’s see how he does, it’s going to be a fun season come October.

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