Why the Maple Leafs Placed Ilya Samsonov on Waivers on Sunday
The Maple Leafs hoped to avoid this scenario, but after four consecutive poor starts, something had to give.
The Toronto Maple Leafs have spent the last month hoping Ilya Samsonov would find his groove in goal. But after allowing six goals on 21 shots in a 6-5 overtime loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets on Friday, the Leafs have placed the Russian goaltender on waivers.
Samsonov has played 15 games this season, posting a 5-2-6 record and a .862 save percentage, the second-lowest among NHL goaltenders who've played 15 or more games this year.
The 26-year-old has cited that the problems in his game have come from within his head rather than his technique on the ice.
"[It's] just in the head, it's what I'm seeing. I need to figure [it] out," Samsonov said following Toronto's 9-3 loss to the Buffalo Sabres, where the 26-year-old allowed five goals on 19 shots before being yanked.
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Placing Samsonov on waivers, though, sets up another move for Toronto as they prepare for their California road trip, which begins on Jan. 2 against the L.A. Kings.
During the second intermission of Saturday's game between the Maple Leafs and Carolina Hurricanes, Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman reported that Toronto has "considered" calling up Dennis Hildeby from the Marlies.
Hildeby, in his debut AHL season, has played 15 games, winning seven and posting a .919 save percentage in that span as one of the league's top goaltenders. The towering six-foot-seven goaltender is very strong, both positionally and mentally, making him a strong netminder likely wherever he plays.
On Sunday, before placing Samsonov on waivers, the Marlies called up Luke Cavallin, a netminder who's spent the better parts of the last two seasons with the ECHL's Newfoundland Growlers.
AHL Toronto now has three goaltenders on their roster, Keith Petruzzelli, Hildeby, and Cavallin, but their next game isn't until Wednesday against the Cleveland Monsters. That means it's always possible that Hildeby gets called up to join the Maple Leafs for their California road trip.
What's next for Samsonov?
If Samsonov clears waivers on Monday afternoon, there's nothing that's going to change within the Maple Leafs. Placing the goaltender on waivers will clear a roster spot for when they want to call up another player, such as Hildeby.
After clearing waivers, the Leafs can simply take him on and off the roster without requiring another waiver process while the player is up with the Leafs for 10 games or 30 days.
Friedman is reporting that if Samsonov clears waivers, he'll report to the Marlies, meaning he won't travel with Toronto to California for three games this week.
This likely doesn't have anything to do with cap space, but more or less, just making room for when they need another body. However, if a team opts to claim the goaltender, it would alleviate $3.55 million in cap space that could be useful before the trade deadline, and the team would be free of any obligation to the goaltender.
It would also mark the end of Samsonov's tenure with Toronto.
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