The injury bug continues to go around in Toronto, as Maple Leafs goaltender Ilya Samsonov left Saturday’s game against the Edmonton Oilers due to an injury.
The injury occurred late in the game, as Samsonov, 27, was stretching across the crease in an attempt to stop what would end up being the 5-3 goal from Leon Draisaitl, and in doing so, appeared to tweak something in his lower-body, resulting in him departing from the game.
At this time, there are no further details on the specifics of the injury or how long he’ll be out of the lineup. However, Maple Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe did say after the game that it looked like he was going to be fine.
Samsonsov left the game having stopped 31 of the 34 shots that he faced, good for a .912 save percentage in the game. Martin Jones was the backup goaltender for the Leafs in the game, so he came in to stop the final five shots to secure the 6-3 win for the Leafs, with Samsonov still getting credited with the win.
Samsonov’s rough start to the season has really weighed down his numbers on the year, as he had an 18-6-7 record, an .888% save%, two shutouts and a -5.13 goals saved above expected through 33 games before Saturday’s game. However, ever since his return after being placed on waivers on December 31st, he’s 13-4-1 with a much more respectable .908% save% and 7.38 GSAx.
Samsonov was the 22nd-overall pick of the Washington Capitals in the 2015 NHL Draft, making his NHL debut in the 2019-20 season and spending parts of three seasons in Washington before the Capitals opted to not qualify him in 2022, making him an unrestricted free agent. Samsonov then signed with the Maple Leafs in free agency, where he’s spent the past two seasons.
Samsonov is currently on a one-year, $3.55 million contract, and will be an unrestricted free agent in the 2024 offseason.
Should the Leafs be without Samsonov long-term, they already have their roster problem solved in the crease, as they’ve been running three goaltenders on their roster ever since Joseph Woll’s return from injury. Until Samsonov returns, the Leafs will likely turn to Woll as the starter, while Jones will be the backup.
The Maple Leafs currently sit in third in the Atlantic Division with a 40-20-9 record. They will look to build off of back-to-back wins when they visit the Carolina Hurricanes on Sunday at 6 p.m. EST.
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