Maple Leafs goaltender Ilya Samsonov left Saturday’s victory over Edmonton with what looked to be a lower-body injury. However, it appears that the netminder won’t miss much time as head coach Sheldon Keefe told reporters postgame including Terry Koshan of the Toronto Sun that the injury isn’t anywhere near as severe as it initially appeared to be. That said, he was not in uniform today against Carolina. It has been an interesting year for the 27-year-old who posted a .862 SV% in his first 15 games, resulting in him clearing waivers. However, since returning in mid-January, Samsonov has won 14 of his 19 decisions while putting up a much stronger .908 SV%. Eligible for unrestricted free agency this summer, Samsonov will need a strong finish to have a shot at besting his current $3.55MM contract on the open market.
More from the Atlantic:
- The Sabres will be without center Tyson Jost tonight due to an undisclosed injury, relays Lance Lysowski of The Buffalo News (Twitter link). The 26-year-old played in their last game on Thursday but was unable to practice yesterday. Jost has played in 36 games with Buffalo so far this season, notching just two goals and two assists; his early-season struggles resulted in him clearing waivers back in late December. That’s hardly the type of season he was hoping for as he becomes eligible for unrestricted free agency in July.
- The Panthers could get a pair of key players back shortly. com’s Adam Kimelman reports (Twitter link) that defenseman Aaron Ekblad and center Aleksander Barkov could return within the week from their respective lower-body injuries. Ekblad, who has been limited to just 47 games this season, is right on schedule after being injured a little over two weeks ago while Barkov, who sits fourth in team scoring with 66 points in 62 games, has been out for the past week.
- The Canadiens are hoping to sign prospect Adam Engstrom once his SHL playoffs with Rogle come to an end, notes The Athletic’s Arpon Basu (subscription link). The 20-year-old was a third-round pick (92nd overall) in 2022 and is coming off a decent campaign that saw him pick up 22 points in 51 games in his second full year in Sweden’s top division. Unlike some college players who will sign and play right away, it’s likely that any agreement with Engstrom wouldn’t begin until next season.