John Tavares breaks his silence on decision to waive Ilya Samsonov

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Graham Montgomery
January 1, 2024 (6:27 PM)

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The Toronto Maple Leafs goaltending woes came to a head yesterday when the team placed veteran goaltender Ilya Samsonov on waivers for the purpose of sending him down to the American Hockey League.

Samsonov Clears Waivers, To Join Toronto Marlies Of AHL

Today is was revealed that the goaltender cleared waivers and has been officially assigned to the Marlies, the Maple Leafs top affiliate.

Ilya Samsonov (TOR) clears waivers and can now be assigned to the AHL Marlies.

It has been an incredibly difficult season for Samsonov, who has proven repeatedly that he is not capable of handling NHL shooters at the moment. His advanced stats have been the worst of his career with his goals given up far exceeding the expected totals.

Ilya Samsonov (on waivers today) could not be having a more different season this year vs last year.

Now, Leafs captain John Tavares has addressed the fact that Samsonov has been sent to the AHL.

Tavares Breaks Silence On Move To Waive Samsonov

The Leafs captain expressed disappointment in the move, but rather than blaming Samsonov for his struggles, he puts the blame on himself and the rest of the team for not playing better in front of him. These are the kind of statements that show why he is the captain of the team.

Tavares: "We feel for Sammy in the way that it has gone. As a team and individually, you're disappointed that in a lot of those games, we just didn't play better ... We love him as a teammate. So definitely feel for him." #Leafs

It is now expected that the Leafs will allow Samsonov some time to rebuild his confidence through on-ice training rather than immediately sending him into game action with the Marlies.

Ilya Samsonov has cleared waivers and will join the Toronto Marlies.

He won't play in any games this week. The Leafs/Marlies team are going to work with him on and off the ice to get his confidence & game back.

Hopefully Samsonov's stint in the AHL goes better than Jack Campbell's as the Oilers goaltender continues to struggle in the second tier pro league. The Leafs may need Samsonov to return to form as it is unclear whether or not Martin Jones can give them solid enough goaltending to carry them for the rest of the season.

As seen on Maple Leafs Daily

Leafs captain reacts to the team's decision to waive Ilya Samsonov