We’ve got another edition of NHL rumours ready to go for you. The Toronto Maple Leafs elimination has caused plenty of news and rumours. Toronto’s surprising Stanley Cup Playoff exit has raised many questions about the team’s lineup. Who will stay and who will go? However, there’s one player that wants to return to the club besides Auston Matthews. This edition of NHL rumours looks at a possible Ilya Samsonov return to Toronto.
All NHL rumours come from the original source and are subject to change.
NHL Rumours
Update on Ilya Samsonov Return
Rumour: The Daily Faceoff’s Steven Ellis said the Russian netminder wants to return to the Maple Leafs. Samsonov mentioned this during the team’s exit media availability after the second-round loss to the Florida Panthers. The 26-year-old is a restricted free agent with arbitration rights. He was making $1.8 million this season after a one-year contract with the team.
Ilya Samsonov said he wants to remain with the Toronto Maple Leafs next season.
— Steven Ellis (@SEllisHockey) May 15, 2023
Samsonov played well and helped the Maple Leafs get past the first-round hurdle. However, he was injured and missed the last two games of the series loss to the Panthers. He recorded a 2.33 goals-against-average and went 27-10-5 with four shutouts. Samsonov stepped in and gave Toronto some stability in goal that it had been lacking.
Will Ilya Samsonov Return?
Toronto may be facing all sorts of changes after not making the last four. There’s some talk about one or more of the core four not coming back next season. The Leafs are perpetually up against the salary cap, but have to find a way to give Samsonov a raise.
One way to do that would be finding a taker for Matt Murray‘s large contract. However, Toronto may have to jump through hoops to make that happen. Samsonov should get a nice pay raise, but it may be painful to make that happen. The Leafs still have some good pieces, but the flat cap going up by only $1 million may force the team’s hand.
Main photo by: Nathan Ray Seebeck-USA TODAY Sports
