Major update in Ilya Samsonov's future with Maple Leafs

It won't be very much longer before fans of the Toronto Maple Leafs find out whether or not goaltender Ilya Samsonov, who is coming off a successful first season in Toronto after coming over from the Washington Capitals, will be back for another go-around.

He was one of 22 NHL players who officially filed for salary arbitration last week, and he's found out his arbitration hearing date. As announced earlier today, his hearing is officially set for July 21. 

Both Samsonov's camp and new Leafs GM Brad Treliving can still attempt to work out a deal between now and then. But as you may know, the Leafs are nearly $9 million in the hole in terms of the salary cap, and that's without new deals for both Auston Matthews and William Nylander, both of whom can become unrestricted free agents next summer. 

Samsonov, who was inked by now-former general manager Kyle Dubas last offseason, went 27-10-5 with a 2.33 goals against average and .919 save percentage in 2022-23. He also helped the Leafs win a postseason series for the first time since 2004, a thrilling six game series win over the rival Tampa Bay Lightning.

Unfortunately, the run for Samsonov and the Leafs would end at the hands of the eventual Eastern Conference champion Florida Panthers; the Russian goaltender would also suffer an injury during the series that would keep him out for the remainder of the postseason.

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