Insider shares Maple Leafs' plan for goaltender Ilya Samsonov

On Sunday afternoon, the Toronto Maple Leafs made a move that many had been wondering if it would actually happen - placing goaltender Ilya Samsonov on waivers.

It's been a tough year for Ilya Samsonov between the pipes in Toronto. In 15 games this season, the Magnitogorsk native has a record of 5-2-6 with a 3.94 goals against average, an .862 save percentage and one shutout.

With Samsonov on waivers and the Maple Leafs heading out on a three-game California road-trip, it appears that they'll be going with a goaltending tandem of Martin Jones and Dennis Hildeby, the latter of whom still needs to be recalled by the team.

If Samsonov clears waivers on Monday, which is more than likely to happen due to his salary, what will the Maple Leafs do with him? Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman shared their plan in a post on X.

Friedman says that Samsonov will join up with the Toronto Marlies, but won't play this week and will work on getting his confidence back.

It'll be interesting to see if any teams decide to place a waiver claim on Ilya Samsonov on Monday. For a Maple Leafs team with aspirations of winning the Stanley Cup, it's certainly not ideal to have him down in the minors, but in order for him to get his game back, this needs to be done. The hope for the Maple Leafs is that they can keep their heads afloat in the Atlantic Division playoff picture until either Samsonov re-gains his confidence or Joseph Woll returns from injury, which still appears to be over a month away.

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