Toronto Maple Leafs place Ilya Samsonov on Waivers
After a brutal start to his 2023-24 campaign, the Toronto Maple Leafs have placed veteran goaltender Ilya Samsonov on waivers, hockey insider Frank Seravalli first reported Sunday.
#NHL waivers today: Ilya Samsonov (TOR) and Eric Comrie (BUF).
— Frank Seravalli (@frank_seravalli) December 31, 2023
After a long 13 games with Samsonov in the net, Maple Leafs fans can finally rest in peace. This comes as no surprise to Maple Leafs and NHL fans all around the world. Samsonov has been downright pitiful for Toronto.
The Russian-born goaltender has won only five games in 13 starts this season. Allowing an astonishing 3.94 goals against on average along with a .862 save percentage. In only four games this season, Samsonov has recorded a save percentage above .900. In a 4-3 overtime win against the Tampa Bay Lightning, the 6-foot-3 netminder allowed three goals on four shots, coming out to a .250 save percentage in just 13:29 minutes played.
Across his career, Samsonov has been a fair netminder–posting three out of five seasons above a .900 save percentage and two 20-win seasons. Last season, Samsonov was night-and-day compared to this year with Toronto, posting a .919 save percentage, four shutouts and 27 wins in 40 games started.
With Samsonov hitting the road, goaltenders Joseph Woll and Martin Jones will see a major increase in playing time. Jones and especially Woll have been light-years better than Samsonov this season, both posting 2.80 and 2.73 goals against average and over .915 save percentage this season, respectively.
With Samsonov on waivers, the Maple Leafs will definitely be a team to watch out for come the trade deadline for a goaltender.
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