Sheldon Keefe doesn't appear pleased with Ilya Samsonov's pre-season
Since signing in Toronto and winning the battle for the Leafs' starter's net from Matt Murray last season, Ilya Samsonov has been the guy in Toronto. The first Leafs goalie to start a 2nd round playoff game since Ed Belfour, Samsonov has earned the right to be the Leafs' de-facto #1 goaltender to start the season. If his pre-season performances are looked at closely though, there may be cause for concern.
Sloppy positional play, poor decision making and an inability to hold on to his stick have Leafs fans worried about Samsonov's game. They aren't alone either, as Leafs coach Sheldon Keefe didn't appear pleased with his goalie when asked about his play after the Leafs 4-3 OT win against Detroit on Thursday.
"There are some things there we want to get him to tighten up for sure." - Keefe on Samsonov
The good news is that it's only been 3 games and the regular season hasn't started yet. Sammy still has time to settle down before the games start to matter. Goaltenders are strange and mysterious creatures. It doesn't take much to throw them off. Something as simple as a new pad spec or a slight adjustment in technique could be all it takes to get the Magnitogorsk native back on track. If not, Joseph Woll may end up taking the starter's job sooner rather than later once he gets over the illness that's held him out for most of the pre-season.
| POLL | ||
OCTOBRE 6 | 270 ANSWERS Sheldon Keefe doesn't appear pleased with Ilya Samsonov's pre-season How many regular season games should the Leafs give Samsonov to figure things out before handing the net off to Joseph Woll? | ||
| About half of the season | 31 | 11.5 % |
| 20 games | 42 | 15.6 % |
| 10 games | 92 | 34.1 % |
| If Woll outplays him, make the switch immediately | 105 | 38.9 % |
| List of polls | ||
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