Samsonov reflects on his time in Toronto and preparation for playoffs in what could be his first playoff run as a 1 goalie
When Ilya Samsonov signed a 1-year, $1.8M "prove it" deal with the Leafs in July 2022, it was expected that he and Matt Murray would form a 1A, 1B tandem for the Leafs and provide the team with some stability at a position they hadn't had for quite some time. Unfortunately, Murray has dealt with more than his fair share of injuries and has spent more time recovering than playing. That has given Samsonov the opportunity to show that he can be a number one and, so far, he has succeeded in the role.
Through 39 games so far this season, Samsonov is 25-10-4 with 4 shutouts, a 2.41 GAA and .915 save percentage. This past week, Samsonov sat down with The Athletic's Joshua Kloke and talked about his transition to Toronto and how he is preparing to be the Leafs' number one heading into their first round series against Tampa.
"We've prepared for (the playoffs) over the last month for sure, talking with (goaltender coach Curtis Sanford) all the time," Samsonov said. "We think about this so there are no questions, no surprises. It's very serious for us."
Samsonov admitted that while he is an active participant with his teammates in and out of the room, he does prefer to be by himself a lot. "I'm more by myself because I want to put some pressure on what I do. It's not because I'm a bad person, I want to concentrate on my game. I don't want to be in my head and think about what other guys are doing. I want to think about what I'm doing." If you or anyone you know is a goalie, you understand Samsonov's process and know that goalies are "weird" and have their own world.
Samsonov was a castaway from Washington after they chose not to issue him a qualifying offer, making him free to sign elsewhere. It was almost as if the team didn't believe he had the ability to live up to being a former first round pick. From the moment of signing in Toronto, however, Samsonov felt welcomed and wanted. "I feel like the coaches believe in me. Everybody believes in me," he told Joshua Kloke this week.
The 25-year-old said that within a few minutes of signing with the Leafs, he had a handful of messages from the likes of Mitch Marner, Auston Matthews and others welcoming him to Toronto. In reflecting on when he joined the Leafs, Samsonov subtly fired a shot at the team culture in Washington saying, "Sometimes every team isn't like here. We talk to each other. We try to support each other in the locker room and on the ice, too." It's clear that the support Samsonov has received from his teammates, coaching staff and upper management with the Leafs has helped him have his best season as an NHLer and could help him turn around his playoff performance as heading into round 1 against Tampa, Samsonov is just 1-6 with a .907 save percentage and 2.98 GAA. If he hopes to bring down a giant, he'll have to be at the time of his game, but by the sounds of things, his teammates have his back.
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