Ilya Samsonov was placed on waivers by the Toronto Maple Leafs on Sunday.
The 26-year-old goalie is 5-2-6 with an NHL career worst in both save percentage (.862) and goals-against average (3.94) this season. Samsonov will be assigned to the Toronto Marlies of the American Hockey League if he clears waivers.
“From my perspective I’m hopeful he clears and remains here," Mape Leafs coach Sledon Keefe said Monday. "There’s a plan in place that we can continue to work with him and it would quite honestly be a continuation of what’s been happening here but just basically removing him from the situation to focus solely on himself and his game. From my perspective, he’s a good goalie, he’s played a lot of good hockey for us as we all know and we need to do all we can to try to get him back to that.”
Samsonov last started for the Maple Leafs on Friday, when he allowed six goals on 21 shots in a 6-5 overtime loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets.
“We feel for 'Sammy' in the way that it’s gone," Maple Leafs captain John Tavares said. "As a team and individually, you’re disappointed obviously in a lot of those game we just didn’t play better and help him build his confidence and build his game because he’s obviously a very good netminder, very talented, very hard working and we love him as a teammate so we definitely feel for him.”
Selected by the Washington Capitals with the No. 22 pick in the 2015 NHL Draft, Samsonov is 84-34-19 with a 2.77 GAA, .903 save percentage and 11 shutouts in 146 regular-season games (134 starts) with the Capitals and Maple Leafs. He is also 5-10 with a 3.06 GAA and .902 save percentage in 17 Stanley Cup Playoff games (16 starts).
Samsonov went 27-10-5 and set NHL career bests in GAA (2.33), save percentage (.919) and shutouts (four) last season, his first with the Maple Leafs after signing a one-year, $1.8 million contract on July 13, 2022.
He was awarded a one-year, $3.55 million contract by an independent arbitrator prior to this season.
The Maple Leafs (17-10-7), who have lost three in a row (0-2-1) and five of six (1-4-1), next play at the Los Angeles Kings (20-8-5) on Tuesday (10:30 p.m. ET; ESPN+, HULU).
Dennis Hildeby was recalled from the AHL and is expected to back up Martin Jones in that game. The 22-year-old goalie, a fourth-round pick (No. 122) by the Maple Leafs in the 2022 NHL Draft, is 7-5-3 with a 2.20 GAA, .919 save percentage and two shutouts in 15 AHL games this season.
NHL.com independent correspondent Dave McCarthy contributed to this report
