Report: Leafs zeroing in on Ilya Samsonov's replacement
It looks like a new goalie could be coming to town.
Among the decisions that Toronto Maple Leafs general manager Brad Treliving will have to make this offseason is how to handle the situation between the pipes. Among the team's pending free-agents to be is Ilya Samsonov, who has wrapped up his second year wearing the Leafs crest and has enjoyed both ups and downs since his arrival in 2022.
He'll go down in team history as the first goaltender since Ed Belfour in 2004 to lead the Leafs to a series win in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, but he faltered during the 2023-24 regular season, and was even waived at one point before coming back and playing better.
However, he would find himself being replaced in net in Round 1 of the postseason against the Boston Bruins by Joseph Woll, who immediately reversed Toronto's fortunes with wins in Game 5 and 6; an untimely injury forced the return of Samsonov for Game 7, a 2-1 overtime loss.
It doesn't appear as though there's a realistic path for Samsonov to run it back with the Leafs for a third season, meaning they'll need a replacement to play alongside Woll. And according to multiple reports, there is "mutual interest" between the Leafs and goaltender Laurent Brossoit, who just wrapped up his second tour of duty with the Winnipeg Jets.
Brossoit has also played for the Edmonton Oiler and the Vegas Golden Knights, with whom he won the Stanley Cup last season. He posted solid numbers with the Jets as backup to Connor Hellebuyck, going 15-5-2 with a 2.00 goals against average, .927 save percentage and a pair of shutouts.
A free-agent in his own right on July 1, Brossoit made $1,750,000 with Winnipeg in 2023-24. Leafs fans, how would you feel about adding some valuable Cup-winning experience to the Toronto roster for next season?
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