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Maple Leafs have apparently decided on Ilya Samsonov's future

He posted good numbers in his first year with the Leafs.

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Former Toronto Maple Leafs general manager Kyle Dubas made the decision last summer to overhaul his goaltenders, swapping both Jack Campbell and Petr Mrazek and inking former Washington Capitals goaltender Ilya Samsonov to a one year contract while also trading for Matt Murray from the Ottawa Senators.

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. 

In the meantime, Samsonov certainly played well enough during the regular season to earn himself another go-around with Toronto for next season and beyond despite not posting the best numbers in their first round victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning. Are the Leafs and new general manager Brad Treliving preparing to bring him back for next year? 

According to Pierre LeBrun, the Leafs are indeed interested in extending Samsonov: 

"The Leafs, meanwhile, have shown interest in re-signing pending RFA Ilya Samsonov. As long as both sides can figure out the sweet spot, it looks like he'll be back in Toronto."

Don't be surprised to see the Leafs roll next season with the tandem of Samsonov and Joseph Woll in the backup role, as Matt Murray is expected to be bought out of the final year of his current deal. 

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Source: The Athletic