'Man, Wake Up And Get Back on Track': Maple Leafs' Ilya Samsonov Hopes His Waivers Experience Will Send a 'Nice Signal To The Brain'
Back with the Toronto Maple Leafs, Ilya Samsonov is staying positive despite some uncertainty that hangs in the balance.
ELMONT, N.Y. — Ilya Samsonov is feeling good again as it has been a couple of days since he's back into an NHL routine.
The Toronto Maple Leafs goaltender was working extensively with goaltending coach Curtis Sanford as the team got ready to take on the New York Islanders at UBS Arena on Thursday, while Martin Jones stayed away from the ice to be fresh to make his sixth consecutive start in goal for Toronto.
"I feel really positive and stay positive all the time, (I'm) still working," Samsonov said. "I’m just ready with everything and just wait to have a chance to play."
The goaltender was recalled to the Maple Leafs on Monday, ten days after he was placed on waivers by the club following major struggles in his second season in Toronto.
The Leafs have tried all kinds of methods to get Samsonov out of a rut that has seen him go 5-2-6 with an .862 save percentage. But the player is hoping the demotion he experienced to start 2024 will shock his system.
"It’s probably a nice signal for your brain and your body. 'Man, wake up,'" he said of going on waivers. "Get back on track and work as hard as you can."
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Following practice on Monday, Maple Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe indicated that although getting Samsonov up with the Leafs and back in the group was important, perhaps more of it was to get rookie goaltender Dennis Hildeby back into action with the Toronto Marlies, who have a game on Friday. The Leafs have been hesitant to start the Swedish prospect out of fear that rushing him too early to the NHL level would harm his development. As a result, Keefe started Jones for games on consecutive nights against the Los Angeles Kings on January 2, followed by the Anaheim Ducks on January 3.
The Leafs have the luxury of being able to move Samsonov up and down their roster since he's already cleared waivers and they might do that this weekend should they decide to get Hildeby into one of the games on back-to-back nights against the Colorado Avalanche on January 13, followed by a game against the Detroit Red Wings on January 14.
That might result in Samsonov going back down.
Would Samsonov be open to playing in a game with the Marlies before eventually returning to NHL action with the Leafs?
"I don’t want to talk about this because it’s not right now, Samsonov said. "Just focused on what’s going on right now."
A beloved personality, teammates were happy to see Samsonov back with the group.
"He’s got a good attitude. A bit of a jokester at the card table on the plane," Mark Giordano said of Samsonov. "He’s working his ass off out there in practice and we know he’ll be back in and we got to play well when he gets back in there."
Samsonov debuted a brand new mask that has legendary Leafs alumni in grey on top of a white strip along the perimeter of the bucket.
Is he trying to wipe the slate clean and call this a fresh start?
"Let's go with this," he said, smiling.
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