Ex-Toronto Maple Leafs Goalie Hits Free Agency After Disappointing Season

Ilya Samsonov is a goaltender who had quite a few up-and-down moments during his time with the Toronto Maple Leafs. He spent two seasons here, and his second was easily the weakest.

He allowed leaky goals in the playoffs, and in the eyes of many, he just wasn't cutting it anymore. Last summer, the team let him walk, as they put their faith in Joseph Woll and Anthony Stolarz.

This past season, Samsonov found himself in Las Vegas on a one-year, $1.8 million deal with the Golden Knights. However, a goals-against average of 2.82 and a save percentage of .891 just wasn't enough.

With Adin Hill continuing his ascension as one of the league's top goaltenders, Samsonov only got to play 29 games, and it became clear his future in Las Vegas was no longer viable.

On Saturday, it was reported by Luke Fox of Sportsnet that Samsonov would officially hit the free agency market on July 1st.

Given his recent results, it is hard to say what his market is at this stage of the game. However, it remains clear that he wants to continue his NHL dream.

When it comes to Samsonov, there are plenty of teams who could use a serviceable backup that can win you games when you need them to.

However, it is unrealistic for Samsonov to think that he is going to step in somewhere and become their starter right away. He will have to earn that job.

Based on how things have played out, the Leafs were right to move on from the goaltender. These are the tough decisions front offices have to make.

That said, we wish Samsonov the best of luck moving forward, and we hope he is able to have a successful free agency.