A third-party arbitrator handed down the award on Sunday after the team and player were unable to come to terms on a new contract.
Ilya Samsonov will earn $3.55 million next season
An independent arbitrator ruled on the Toronto Maple Leafs goaltender's salary following an arbitration hearing on Friday.
The 26-year-old will become an unrestricted free agent after the one-year contract expires at the end of the 2023-24 season.
Both sides were unable to come to terms on a new contract before the hearing began on Friday. The goaltender filed for arbitration earlier in the month after a standout first season with the Maple Leafs in which he posted a 27-10-5 record and a .919 save percentage.
Samsonov's $3.55 million deal would put the Maple Leafs at approximately $11.6 million over the salary cap next season. However, it’s likely that Jake Muzzin’s contract $5.625 million cap for 2023-24) will be on long-term injured reserve in order to ensure the club isn’t over its off-season cap of 83.5 million plus 10 percent.
Following the award, the Maple Leafs have opened up a second buyout window that could help them alleviate some salary cap space.
There have been rumblings about what Toronto might do with goaltender Matt Murray, who has a cap hit of $4.6875 million for the upcoming season.
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