Maple Leafs officially decide Ilya Samsonov's fate

They indicated that they were open to keeping him, and it appears as though that will officially be the case. Minutes ago, it was announced on Twitter that the Toronto Maple Leafs have extended a qualifying offer to goaltender Ilya Samsonov: 

Samsonov put together a stellar regular season record in his first season with the Leafs, going 27-10-5 with a 2.33 goals against average and .919 save percentage. He'll also forever be in the Leafs team record books as being the first goaltender since Ed Belfour in 2004 to help lead the franchise to the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Unfortunately, his season would be cut short as he suffered an injury in their Round 2 series against the eventual Eastern Conference champion Florida Panthers. 

Samsonov himself made no secret about his experience in Toronto this past April: 

“We have the best doctors, best therapists, best workout coaches. We have the best coaches, we have the best players,” he said.

Samsonov's cap hit last season after being signed from the Washington Capitals by now-former general manger Kyle Dubas was $1.8 million.

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