On New Year’s Eve, Ilya Samsonov was demoted to the AHL rocking a league worst .862 save percentage. Having gotten rocked by the Columbus Blue Jackets for 5 goals twice and then the Buffalo Sabres for 6 goals. The situation became more dire with each passing day.
After a 10 day hiatus from hockey, Ilya has returned and he’s come back in style.
When Ilya Samsonov came back on January 10th, it was widely questioned. However since then he has won 12 of his 15 games and seemingly taken the starting goalie job in Toronto.
Samsonov, who is on an expiring contract, is making a case to be brought back by the club beyond this year. Toronto is a tough place to play as a goalie. Samsonov’s laid back attitude and his remarkable comeback shows he is well built for a market like Toronto.
If we look at how Edmonton handled a similar situation with Jack Campbell, you can see why the Leafs opted not to have Samsonov start any games in the AHL. Campbell, demoted in November, is playing out the string for Edmonton’s AHL affiliate with limited success. Samsonov didn’t see a minute of game action in the AHL, it was simply a reset for a person who was struggling.
Will Ilya Samsonov’s comeback serve as a template for teams, demonstrating that the most important thing for a struggling goalie is not to have them play in the AHL but to get away from hockey for a little bit? Judging by the success Ilya Samsonov has had since, this may serve as a blueprint for future situations
For now, we don’t know how this incredible story will end. As the regular season winds down, it’s looking likely the Maple Leafs will head for a crash course with the Boston Bruins, where they’ll face one of the best young goalies in Jeremy Swayman and the current Vezina winner in Linus Ullmark. This would likely be a tall task for Samsonov as Swayman and company held the Leafs to just 2 goals in 2 games against the Bruins this past week, however, if one thing has become clear this season, it’s that you shouldn’t count Ilya Samsonov out.