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Ilya Samsonov

Snapshots: Marner, Samsonov, Rielly, Rousek, Quinn

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Star Toronto Maple Leafs winger Mitch Marner won’t make his return for at least two more games, per The Athletic’s Jonas Siegel (Twitter link). That would bring Marner up to 10 games missed with a high ankle sprain. His return is gaining anticipation with each absence, with Marner again serving as one of Toronto’s premier talents. He’s scored 25 goals and 76 points in just 62 games this season – a 100-point scoring pace across 82 games. He’ll try to chase the 90-point mark for the third straight season when he returns, though he may find himself short a few minutes on account of Max Domi. Domi has scored one goal and nine points in eight games while serving in Marner’s top-six role, including a four-assist night on March 20th. But even with Domi’s help, Toronto is undoubtedly missing Marner – going 4-3-1 in his absence, after a 19-3-6 hot streak.

Other notes from around the league:

  • Toronto goaltender Ilya Samsonov feels ready to return after missing the team’s last two games with a calf contusion, per TSN’s Mark Masters (Twitter link). Martin Jones has returned to a backup role in Samsonov’s absence, though his only appearance has been the three minutes he filled for Samsonov in the team’s Saturday game. Joseph Woll has continued to carry the starter role, though he’s lost both games that Samsonov has missed.
  • But while Toronto is expecting Samsonov back, they could still be without defenseman Morgan Rielly, per Sportsnet’s Luke Fox (Twitter link). Rielly is facing an upper-body injury that also held him out of the team’s Tuesday night game. He’s been an impactful defender when active – managing seven goals and 51 points in 65 games this season. He’ll likely bump either Simon Benoit or Ilya Lyubushkin out of the lineup when he returns.
  • Buffalo Sabres forward Lukas Rousek is expected to miss a couple of days with an upper-body injury, after taking a stick in the face from practice, per Bleacher Report’s Joe Yerdon (Twitter link). Rousek’s role will be filled by Jack Quinn, who is making his return from a lower-body injury that required surgery in January. Quinn has only played in 17 games this season – though he’s been impactful, scoring five goals and 12 points.

Atlantic Notes: Samsonov, Jost, Panthers, Engstrom

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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.

Atlantic Notes: Panthers, Jeannot, Samsonov, Quinn

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The Panthers will welcome back a pair of key forwards tonight as they take on Tampa Bay.  The team announced that center Sam Bennett and winger Evan Rodrigues have been cleared to return and will suit up.  Bennett missed Thursday’s game against Carolina with an undisclosed injury while Rodrigues has been out since last weekend due to a lower-body injury.  Bennett has battled injury issues this season but still has 16 goals and 16 assists in 54 games while Rodrigues has done well in his first year in Florida, collecting 10 goals and a career-best 26 assists through 65 games so far.

Elsewhere in the Atlantic:

  • Lightning winger Tanner Jeannot is with the team as their road trip gets underway, notes Eduardo A. Encina of the Tampa Bay Times (Twitter link). The 26-year-old has missed the last month with a lower-body injury.  Jeannot has had a quiet year, notching six goals and six assists in 42 games although he does have 162 hits to his credit as well.  He took part in the morning skate but isn’t expected to suit up against Florida tonight.
  • While Maple Leafs goaltender Ilya Samsonov exited today’s morning skate early with what looked to be an injury, head coach Sheldon Keefe told reporters including Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman (Twitter link) that Samsonov is fine and will get the start tonight against Carolina. Samsonov has rebounded well after a disastrous start to his season, posting a .912 SV% since January 1st compared to the .862 mark he put up in his first three months of the year.
  • Sabres winger Jack Quinn skated Friday for the first time as he works his way back from a lower-body injury, relays WGR 550’s Paul Hamilton (Twitter link). The 22-year-old has been limited to just 17 games so far this season due to injuries but has been productive in those, notching five goals and seven assists.  There is still no timetable for when he might return but has been ruled out for their five-game road trip that began today.

Maple Leafs Recall Ilya Samsonov

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After clearing waivers early last week, Ilya Samsonov’s brief stint on the AHL roster is over. The Maple Leafs recalled last season’s starting netminder this morning, returning youngster Dennis Hildeby to AHL Toronto in a corresponding transaction.

Samsonov, 26, has had a horrid go of things this season that culminated in a minor-league assignment to work with the team’s development staff. He did not suit up in any game action for the AHL’s Marlies during his ten-day stint. To go along with a rather peculiar 5-2-6 record, Samsonov had a .862 SV% in 15 NHL games – second-worst in the league among qualified netminders only to the Hurricanes’ Antti Raanta.

Without any stats from his AHL run, it’s hard to gauge from an outside viewpoint if Samsonov is mentally ready to rebound from his struggles. There’s no doubt he’s a skilled, capable netminder. After all, he started 40 out of 82 games for Toronto last season and stopped 18 goals above expected, which was tenth in the league, per MoneyPuck. It’s also unclear whether or not the Leafs plan to play Samsonov anytime soon, as they’ve shown a willingness to ride the hot hand and start Martin Jones in back-to-back contests already once this month. The recall could be just to get Samsonov back working with the Leafs’ NHL staff as he gets closer to being deemed ready to play.

This has to be a tad disappointing for Hildeby, who didn’t see any action during his first NHL recall. After backing up Jones in four games, the monstrous 22-year-old Swede heads back to the Marlies, where he has a 2.20 GAA, .919 SV%, two shutouts, and a 7-5-3 record in 15 games this year.

East Notes: Samsonov, Meier, Cernak, Fleury

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Having just cleared waivers yesterday, questions immediately sprouted concerning Ilya Samsonov, and how the Toronto Maple Leafs plan to deal with the struggling goaltender. Now rostered with the organization’s AHL affiliate, the Toronto Marlies, Jonas Siegel of The Athletic shed a bit more light on the issue this afternoon.

Speaking with the General Manager of the Maple Leafs, Brad Treliving, it does not appear that Samsonov will play nor practice with the Marlies this week, as Treliving is quoted as saying, “It’s a physical and a mental reset where can he get away from preparing for the next game and all the pressures that come with it”.

Although a bold action to take near the middle of the season, Toronto is seemingly running out of ideas on how to maximize Samsonov’s play between the pipes. In what is shaping to be the worst statistical output of his career, Samsonov holds a 5-2-6 record in 15 games, carrying a dismal .862 SV% and a 3.94 GAA.

Other notes:

  • Experiencing plenty of injury concerns from multiple significant players this season, the New Jersey Devils will be without forward Timo Meier for an undisclosed amount of time, as he is dealing with a mid-body injury according to team reporter, Amanda Stein. Stein indicates that it is not a re-aggravation of any of Meier’s previous injury concerns this season, something he has been seemingly battling for much of the regular season.
  • Taking a hit to their defensive core, the Tampa Bay Lightning will be without Erik Cernak on a day-to-day basis, while Haydn Fleury will be on more of a week-to-week timeline (X Link). In all fairness to Fleury, Cernak is the more significant defenseman to miss time, as he has blossomed into one of the better shutdown defensemen in the NHL with Tampa Bay. Averaging over 19 minutes of ice time per game, Cernak holds a 90.1% on-ice save percentage at even strength this season.

Ilya Samsonov Clears Waivers

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01/01/24: As expected, Samsonov has cleared waivers, according to The Athletic’s Chris Johnston. As a result, he is now eligible for assignment to AHL Toronto.

 12/31/23: The Toronto Maple Leafs have placed goaltender Ilya Samsonov on waivers. Samsonov’s last appearance came on December 29nd, when he allowed the Columbus Blue Jackets six goals on only 21 shots.

Samsonov’s placement on waivers was coupled with Toronto’s AHL club recalling ECHL goaltender Luke Cavallin, something that Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman thinks may be a sign that Dennis Hildeby could receive a call-up to the NHL squad should Samsonov clear waivers. Hildeby has been gaining traction in the eyes of Toronto fans, setting a 7-5-3 record and .919 save percentage in the 15 AHL games he’s appeared in this season. The Swedish goaltender is in his first full season of North American hockey, after joining the AHL’s Toronto Marlies following the end of Farjestads’ 2022-23 season in the SHL. The 22-year-old goalie was prolific in Sweden’s top league last season, setting a .918 save percentage in 21 games with the top club. The Leafs drafted Hildeby in the fourth round of the 2022 NHL Draft. Like all players after pick 54 in that draft class, Hildeby has yet to make his NHL debut – something that could change soon with this recent roster moves.

Samsonov is placed on waivers after a series of disappointing games. The 26-year-old netminder currently carries a .862 save percentage through 15 games, second-worst in the league among goalies with 15-or-more games. The only goaltender with a worse save percentage is Antti Raanta, who was similarly waived earlier in the season. Samsonov is in his second season with the Toronto Maple Leafs, going to arbitration to earn a one-year, $3.6MM contract with the team for this season.

Atlantic Notes: Samsonov, Sabres Coaches, Sergachev

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Following another tough outing that saw him allow six goals to Columbus in an overtime loss, Ilya Samsonov’s short-term future appears to be in question.  Jonas Siegel of The Athletic believes (subscription link) that the Maple Leafs can no longer afford to put the netminder in their lineup with how much he has struggled; his save percentage on the season is down to just .862 even though he only has two regulation losses in his 15 starts.

Toronto’s challenge, of course, is that with Joseph Woll likely out for another month and Martin Jones being more of a depth veteran than a viable starter, they don’t really have anyone else to turn to other than prospect Dennis Hildeby or another youngster in the minors.  With Hildeby being in his first full AHL campaign though, calling him up this early wouldn’t be ideal.  However, Siegel highlights that with how the Maple Leafs’ schedule goes in the next little bit, they wouldn’t have to call on Hildeby much, lessening the risk of exposing him too early to the top level.  Promoting him would then allow Samsonov to either accept a conditioning stint with the Marlies or be assigned there pending waiver clearance to try to get back on track.

Siegel also wonders if Jaroslav Halak could make sense in the short term to avoid bringing Hildeby up although it’s worth noting that the Maple Leafs already have seven goalies on an NHL contract.  To use Halak, they’d have to make it eight which isn’t an ideal situation to be in.  Samsonov had a good first season in Toronto last year, earning a $3.55MM deal for his troubles but his platform year to unrestricted free agency has been nothing short of a disaster so far.

Elsewhere in the Atlantic:

  • The Sabres announced (Twitter link) that head coach Don Granato will miss today’s game versus Columbus due to illness. Instead of using an assistant in the interim head coaching role, Buffalo has recalled Rochester’s head coach Seth Appert who will be in charge behind the bench.  Appert is in his fourth season with the Amerks who also play tonight but will have assistants Vinny Prospal and Nathan Paetsch split the coaching duties for that contest.
  • Lightning defenseman Mikhail Sergachev took part in practice on Friday but was only able to make it through about half the session, relays Kristie Ackert of the Tampa Bay Times. As a result, the 25-year-old won’t make his return to the lineup tonight against the Rangers.  Sergachev has missed the last three games with a lower-body injury and has 19 points in 33 games so far this season while playing nearly 23 minutes a night.

Maple Leafs Have Examined Goalie Trade Market

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The Maple Leafs have “dipped their toes” into the goaltender trade market in the wake of an injury to youngster Joseph Woll and poor play from the more experienced Ilya Samsonov, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Freidman reported on Hockey Night in Canada’s Saturday Headlines program.

Nothing is imminent, however, and Friedman says not to expect a deal without the first few days after the holiday roster freeze lifts next Wednesday. The Maple Leafs are reportedly intent on wanting to work with Samsonov and hope he can return to the true starter form he displayed last season.

Samsonov’s play has indeed been nightmarish this year. Through 14 games, he has a rather peculiar 5-2-5 record but a .871 SV% that ranks near the bottom of the league. His -11.5 goals saved above average are third-worst in the NHL, ahead of only Blackhawks youngster Arvid Söderblom (-12.6 GSAA) and Hurricanes backup Antti Raanta (-15.1 GSAA), the latter of whom was waived earlier this week.

While Samsonov has struggled with inconsistency since breaking into the league with the Capitals in 2019, few expected this significant drop-off from last season’s play. He started a career-high 40 contests, limited in part due to minor injuries and the fact he was viewed as the backup to two-time Stanley Cup champion Matt Murray heading into the season. Injuries and mediocrity plagued Murray’s brief time in Toronto, allowing Samsonov to take the starter’s crease. Murray remains on long-term injured reserve this season after undergoing hip surgery and is not expected to be available at any point.

He responded with a 27-10-5 record, .919 SV%, 2.33 GAA, and four shutouts, all career highs. In the postseason, he outdueled Lightning star Andrei Vasilevskiy in the crease and guided the Maple Leafs to their first playoff series win in the salary cap era. Unfortunately, an injury in Game 3 of the team’s second-round series against the Panthers ended his season, and the Maple Leafs bowed out in five games.

The Leafs, however, were not sold on a long-term extension for Samsonov – a restricted free agent last summer – given their tight salary cap situation. Samsonov elected for salary arbitration with the club, and he did not agree to an extension with the team before the hearing, resulting in a one-year, $3.55MM award that makes him an unrestricted free agent next summer. After this season’s struggles, it’s looked like the prudent choice.

While Toronto would prefer to rehabilitate Samsonov’s game, his one-year deal makes him an easier player to trade if they opt for an upgrade in the crease. The 25-year-old Woll is beginning to solidify himself as the team’s starter after posting a .915 SV% through 15 appearances, but he remains sidelined week-to-week with a high ankle sprain. He isn’t expected to miss a significant chunk of the season, though, so any move Toronto makes in the crease would be to find a better tandem partner or backup for Woll come playoff time.

A seller’s market makes a trade purely for short-term help undesirable. As Friedman notes, only a handful of teams have legitimate options of value in the crease available on the trade market, and inquiring teams have felt “extorted” by asking prices for targets, assumedly netminders like Ducks starter John Gibson and Canadiens tandem veteran Jake Allen.

One player who is not an option for NHL time this season is 22-year-old Swede Dennis Hildeby, who Friedman reports Toronto intends to keep in the minors to continue his development. The 2022 fourth-round pick is massive at 6-foot-7 and 223 pounds and has exploded for a .921 SV% and 7-4-2 record through 13 games with the AHL’s Toronto Marlies in his first full season in North America.

The play of veteran call-up Martin Jones in the wake of Woll’s injury is also something to monitor. A handful of solid performances could make the Maple Leafs comfortable with what they have, especially given his notable postseason experience. Jones was in the crease for the San Jose Sharks’ only Stanley Cup Final appearance in franchise history in 2016 and led all playoff goalies with a .928 SV% in 2018, although he hasn’t been an above-average NHL option since.

Entering tonight’s games, however, Jones had a respectable .907 SV% and one shutout in five appearances, three of them starts. For a team consistently teetering against the salary cap’s Upper Limit, squeezing all they can out of Jones and his $875K cap hit is an appealing proposition for Toronto.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Atlantic Notes: Gaunce, Chabot, Samsonov

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Per a team announcement, the AHL affiliate of the Toronto Maple Leafs, the Toronto Marlies, announced they have signed defenseman Cameron Gaunce to a professional tryout. Already a solid defensive team sitting at 10th in the AHL in terms of goals against, Gaunce’s experience on the blue line should help strengthen the Marlies defensive core even more.

A solid offensive defenseman during his time in the OHL, Gaunce was originally a second-round pick of the Colorado Avalanche in the 2008 NHL Draft. Since leaving the OHL after the 2009-10 season, Gaunce has managed 14 years of AHL experience, as well as accruing 37 games at the NHL level split between Colorado, Dallas Stars, Pittsburgh Penguins, and Tampa Bay Lightning.

In the minor leagues, Gaunce has played in a total of 783 games, scoring 50 goals and 248 assists, spending the last three years playing for the Ontario Reign. He won’t provide much in the way of offense over the length of his tryout, but largely sporting a younger defensive core, Gaunce’s experience should ultimately make for a great addition to the Marlies’ blue line.

Other notes:

  • Although he had fully recovered from a hand injury and returned to action for the Ottawa Senators on December 1st, defenseman Thomas Chabot may once again miss a stretch of games for the Senators. Bruce Garrioch of TSN reports that Chabot will not play for the team tonight against the New York Rangers after experiencing some discomfort in his leg, and will have an MRI to make a more accurate diagnosis. In his return to the ice last week, Chabot averaged just over 24 minutes of ice time in two games, adding one assist on the powerplay.
  • After having missed a few games due to an illness, goaltender for the Maple Leafs, Ilya Samsonov, has made his return to practice. Unfortunately, Samsonov did not make it through the full practice and had to depart early (X Link). It may not mean much, however, as Toronto had already loaned goaltender Martin Jones back to the AHL this morning, meaning the team may have good enough confidence that he will still be available for the team’s game on Thursday.

Snapshots: Reichel, Bogosian, Samsonov

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Chicago Blackhawks forward Lukas Reichel will be a healthy scratch for today’s game, according to head coach Luke Richardson. Reichel will be in the press box even though Anthony Beauvillier will be unavailable for the game today as some of the logistics related to his trade from the Canucks are still to be sorted out.

After scoring 15 points in 23 games last season, there was some optimism that Reichel would have a breakout 2023-24 season next to phenom Connor Bedard. So far that hasn’t happened, though, as the 2020 17th overall pick has just two goals and six points this season.

Some notes from the rest of the NHL:

  • Veteran defenseman Zach Bogosian will not play in today’s Minnesota Wild game, as the blueliner is dealing with an upper-body injury. Bogosian was acquired by Wild to help shore up their defense and has thus far played in nine games for the Wild. With him out of the lineup, Jon Merrill will get the call for Minnesota.
  • Ilya Samsonov was absent from Toronto Maple Leafs practice today as he’s still dealing with an illness. Samsonov’s illness led to veteran Martin Jones being recalled on an emergency basis, and he backed up Joseph Woll for last night’s game against the Boston Bruins. Since the Maple Leafs next play Thursday, one would assume that Samsonov will be ready to play by then, although we obviously do not have official confirmation of that timeline.

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