Ilya Samsonov is so much more than just a Petr Mrazek replacement; these clips show exactly what he's capable of in Toronto
When the Leafs signed 25-year-old goaltender Ilya Samsonov to a 1-year, $1.8M contract on July 13th, not only did they land a replacement for the departed Petr Mrazek, but they also gave themselves a legitimate shot at a potential long-term solution in goal.
His career .902 SV% doesn't really jump off the page, nor does his .896 SV% from this past season, but he did manage to post a .912 SV% in 5 playoff games for the Caps in their postseason series against the Florida Panthers and gave his team a chance to win. More often than not, that will be enough for the Leafs.
Having said that, Samsonov is capable of so much more than just giving the Leafs a chance to win. This is a former 1st round pick who was very highly-touted coming into the league. He, like fellow Russian netminders Ilya Sorokin and Igor Shesterkin were viewed as a trio of future superstars coming out of Europe. With both Shesterkin and Sorokin having shown very well for their respective clubs over the past few seasons, Samsonov is sort of playing from behind now, though he is a full year younger than Shesterkin and Sorokin.
Success is not linear. That statement rings true for most up-and-coming players, but it might carry a little more weight with goaltenders, who often have a tougher time building up momentum early on in their careers. Samsonov's best season to date is still his rookie year, when he posted 16-6-2 record in 26 appearances, putting up a .913 SV% to go along with a 2.55 GAA. Even with his rookie numbers being as promising as they were, he could not seem to use that momentum to propel him forward and into a starting role in Washington, first being buried behind an aging and declining Braden Holtby and then into a net share with Vitek Vanecek.
His situation may not be any better with the Leafs, in the sense that he'll still be playing behind/beside Matt Murray next season, but I'd argue that the opportunity is a lot better for him in Toronto. For one, Murray has found it really challenging to remain healthy over the past few seasons. Should a Murry injury occur, that would vault Samsonov into a starting role and give him a chance to show what he can do with a bit of a longer runway as a number one option. There also exists the possibility that Murray remains healthy, but is largely underwhelming, which might lead to Sheldon Keefe passing the net off to Samsonov as well.
I, for one, am eager to see what Samsonov is capable in a new situation after being given a fresh start in Toronto. Not only was he once viewed as the future in goal for the Washington Capitals, but the guys who he was lumped in with have both gone on to become young stars in this league. There's no reason to believe that Samsonov cannot do the same with the opportunity he's been given in Toronto.
| POLL | ||
JUILLET 24 | 912 ANSWERS Ilya Samsonov is so much more than just a Petr Mrazek replacement; these clips show exactly what he's capable of in Toronto Will Ilya Samsonov finish the 2022-23 season as the Leafs' starting goaltender? | ||
| Yes | 669 | 73.4 % |
| No | 243 | 26.6 % |
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