After a solid playoff run that saw him take plenty of criticism, especially in game seven, it appears the Maple Leafs career of Ilya Samsonov is officially over.
The Toronto Maple Leafs are very well aware that they need to make changes this off-season, but one was likely forced upon them in the playoffs. After a steady, but not spectacular start to the series against Boston, Ilya Samsonov was benched for Joseph Woll, and in two games, the young net minder clearly won the starting role.
Unfortunately, he was injured for the game seven that saw Toronto fall 2-1 in overtime, and it appears that may have been his last game as a Maple Leaf following Brad Treliving's comments.
However, he's now going to hit free agent, and in a weak goaltending class, there's a good chance he can find a solid opportunity elsewhere in the NHL. For the Maple Leafs, they will now look for a veteran backup to Joseph Woll, or could indeed look to pull off a blockbuster deal, but for now all we know is that Samsonov won't be back after an up-and-down career in Toronto.
