'I Want To Get More Stability': Ilya Samsonov Feels One-Year Deals With Maple Leafs Weighed On His Mind This Season
Without a doubt, the 2023-24 season was the most challenging in Ilya Samsonov’s career.
After putting up a solid .919 save percentage and helping backstop the club to their only playoff series victory in the last 20 years, the Russian goaltender found it difficult to find the stability he was looking for.
He wanted more than the one-year pact he inked with the Leafs in the summer of 2022, but the Leafs were unwilling to give it to him. Instead, they went to arbitration where the goaltender was forced to hear arguments made by the club about him being worth less than the $3.55 million he was awarded.
During his end-of-season media availability, the goaltender admitted the lack of commitment affected him.
“The last couple of years, seriously, the last three years, I’m just working with one (year) deal contract. It’s not too easy. It’s not too easy for me. You think about it. It doesn’t matter if you’re still human or it doesn’t matter how your confidence level or something. You still think about this. I think I want to get some more stability,” Samsonov said. “Maybe this will be nice if we get a couple of years or a three-year contract. It’s true. This will be good for my family”
Samsonov had considerable struggles in the first half of this past season. In Jan 1, the Leafs placed the goaltender on waivers. After 31 other clubs passed on the Russian goalie, he was sent down to the Toronto Marlies, but mostly worked with Marlies goalie coach Hannu Toivonen and a mental health consultant to get him away from the daily grind of being with the Leafs while the club was out west for their California road trip. He eventually returned and found his game again.
Samsonov went 6-1-1 and was selected over Joseph Woll to start the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs. Woll took over for a part of Game 4 and Games 5 and 6 before an injury put Samsonov back in the net for Game 7.
The goaltender was on the ice for Boston Bruins forward David Pastnrak’s overtime goal in Game 7 that ended Toronto’s season.
“I need to play better than what we see in the series about me. I need extra saves, extra good pass, or whatever,” Samsonov lamented. “I’m a guy who understands. First of all, I’m professional. I need to understand, too, for myself. I need to play better, and this is true. It’s not about how we defend or power play, it’s whatever is going on. But I need to be better for this team and in this series.”
While Samsonov could have used an extra save or two, he wasn’t responsible for his team only managing 12 goals over seven games. The offense was a big failing of the club.
Samsonov is an unrestricted free agent and while he didn’t put up good numbers with a 23-7-8 record and .890 save percentage, he’ll likely grab some interest for a team looking to bolster their tandem. One look at the goaltenders available via unrestricted free agency this summer shows that there aren’t a lot of great options.
Could he come back with the Leafs? It’s doubtful. Especially if he wants term this time around. But if he can’t get multiple years elsewhere, it’s not out of the question.
Samsonov prefers to stay but it had to be the right fit and the feeling has to be mutual.
“I love this city. I love everybody on this team. But I never know,” Samsonov said. “If it’s serious, I didn’t talk about this with my agents because we just get some time for rest for my mind. If we get some more chance, come to this locker room, and just on this jersey, I will be happy.”
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