Toronto Maple Leafs make surprising roster move involving Ilya Sansonov

Statistically Ilya Sansonov has been one of the worst goaltenders in all of the NHL this season. In 15 games, Samsonov has posted a .862 save percentage and a 3.94 goals against average. These numbers even make Jack Campbell look like a star.

Samsonov's terrible play left the Maple Leafs with very few options and ultimately the team opted to demote Samsonov to the American Hockey League. The Leafs hope was that Samsonov could find himself mentally and get back to the way he played last season. After every goal against you could tell Samsonov was in his own head and his mental struggles played out on the ice for everyone to see.

After spending a week with the staff of the Toronto Marlies, Samsonov got into his first practice with the team yesterday. At no point did Samsonov play a game with the Marlies, or did they even consider it an option. However, today the Leafs made a surprising roster decision announcing they had recalled Samsonov from the Marlies.





The recall of Sansonov sends top prospect Dennis Hildeby back to the Marlies where he will get some starts instead of sitting on the bench. To some this move came as a surprise after the Leafs won four games in a row after the demotion. Only time will tell if this move was right for the Leafs, but if Sansonov can find his game it will bolster the Leafs roster and allow them so spend assets elsewhere.