You never want to see a player go down with a long-term injury as Matt Murray did in Saturday’s practice prior to the Maple Leafs’ home game with the Ottawa Senators. The Maple Leafs subsequently placed Murray on Long Term Injury Reserve. Samsonov Should Be Able to Carry the Load Until Murray Returns If we’ve counted
Ilya Samsonov
In this edition of Toronto Maple Leafs News & Rumors, I’ll take a look at three of the newcomers to the Maple Leafs’ roster. The initial play of Ilya Samsonov, Callie Jarnkrok, and Adam Gaudette had to have been impressive for even some of the most jaded Maple Leafs’ fans. Small sample size aside, it
While it wasn’t the offseason that many had hoped for, the Toronto Maple Leafs still managed to make significant changes to their roster. They restructured their goaltending and added quality depth to their bottom-six in the hopes of being more competitive. While Rasmus Sandin’s contract remains on the to-do list, the Maple Leafs appear set
In any season, there are always going to be players that are going to be heavily scrutinized. With the Toronto Maple Leafs, that scrutiny is even more magnified given the fan base and attention from the mainstream media. Even though there have been bright spots in a player’s career, it’s what’s happened recently that’ll garner
Now that the chaos of NHL free agency has simmered, some of the big signings across the league have bolstered some new dates for each team’s fanbase to circle. The 2022-23 schedule was released on July 6, and since then, the Washington Capitals have added some must-see matchups outside of the now-stronger Metropolitan Division clashes. As
Toronto Maple Leafs’ General Manager Kyle Dubas was busy on day one of free agency. He signed four players. In this post, we’ll share more about who these players are and what they might bring to the team. Player One: Goalie Ilya Samsonov The Maple Leafs lost two Ilya’s, in Mikheyev and Lyubushkin, and gained
The Washington Capitals have now semi-addressed an issue they needed to fix this offseason. The team had to commit to one of their two young goaltenders, who were both restricted free agents. After trading Vitek Vanecek to the New Jersey Devils on Friday, it appears they are moving forward with Ilya Samsonov, but it’s still
The Kraken tried to trade for Kevin Fiala TSN: Chris Johnston said that the Seattle Kraken were also trying to acquire Kevin Fiala from the Minnesota Wild and were in until the end. The Kraken have some cap space and are looking to make some moves. “It’s not a problem for them and I think
It doesn’t look like Lamoriello wants to trade Varlamov but… Stefen Rosner of NYI Hockey Now: After they sign pending RFAs Noah Dobson and Kieffer Bellows, they’ll likely have around $7 million projected salary cap space. That won’t be enough for a big acquisition without moving some salary. Trading goaltender Semyon Varlamov would clear $5
The Capitals could have a goaltender on the trade block The Fourth Period: Samatha Pell indicated on SiriusXM The Hot Stove that changes could be coming in net for the Washington Capitals next season. One of their pending RFA goaltenders Ilya Samsonov or Vitek Vanecek could be moved this offseason. “I could definitely see one
If Mike Smith retires, what would the Edmonton Oilers do in net? Daniel Nugent-Bowman of The Athletic: 40-year-old Edmonton Oilers goaltender Mike Smith has another year let on his contract and played through multiple injuries all season. “Playing through injuries for the majority of the season is not easy,” Smith said. “I don’t know where
Tarik El-Bashir of The Athletic: (mailbag part 1) At this point, can’t see the Washington Capitals entering next season with the tandem of Ilya Samsonov and Vitek Vanecek. They need to decide which one to keep, then look to add a goalie who is in his 30’s and could be a No. 1 option as
Unlike their Eastern Conference rivals, the Washington Capitals played it safe at the trade deadline – acquiring forward depth in Marcus Johansson and Johan Larsson. Brian MacLellan, it seems, assessed the level of competition his Capitals will face in the postseason and concluded that 2021-22 wasn’t the year to go all-in on another Stanley Cup
Once again we are talking about another viable option in net that the Edmonton Oilers could trade for and soon. Since general manager Ken Holland sat down with the media and made it clear he’s not trading top prospects or picks for a rental, that limits the Oilers to what they can go out and
In the latest edition of the NHL Stat Corner, we see the Anaheim Ducks continue to impress on all fronts, and an injury-riddled Washington Capitals continue to succeed with a lineup filled with rookies. We also take a look at a rivalry as old as the NHL, and players really step up for the Toronto
With the Seattle Kraken ready to pick three goaltenders as part of the expansion draft in July, the Washington Capitals have an interesting choice in which goaltender to protect. With Henrik Lundqvist ineligible for the draft and Pheonix Copley unlikely to be selected since there would be plenty of other candidates around the league for
The Washington Capitals came out of the gate strong, then hit a speed bump, and then got back on the wave they were riding at the start of the season and are now sitting in second place in the Mass Mutual East Division as of this writing. The team in first place? The New York
The 2020-21 NHL season is underway and it’s about one-fifth complete. With the shortened season and the compressed schedule, games are happening rapidly with shorter turnover than usual. This is giving some NHL backup goaltenders a higher percentage of ice-time, earlier in the season than they would typically experience. In more than one location, backup