Showdown with Sammy: Ilya Samsonov To Make His Maple Leafs Debut Against the Capitals on October 13
Paige Taylor White/Toronto Star
While the Washington Capitals revamped their goaltending tandem during the offseason, they won’t have to wait long to see a former occupant of the crease as they begin the 2022-23 regular season.
Per NHL.com’s Dave McCarthy, former Caps netminder Ilya Samsonov will make his first start with the Toronto Maple Leafs against the Capitals on Thursday, October 13, in Toronto.
Matt Murray starts Wednesday vs #GoHabsGo
Ilya Samsonov starts Thursday vs #ALLCAPS, his former team.#LeafsForever #NHL @NHLdotcom
— Dave McCarthy (@DaveAMcCarthy) October 10, 2022
The Capitals’ 2015 first-round pick struggled to find number one form during his three seasons in Washington, and although it was expected he would receive a qualifying offer from the team this offseason, the Caps opted to start from scratch in goal, after inconsistencies from both Samsonov and Vitek Vanecek; the team signed Stanley Cup winner Darcy Kuemper and backup Charlie Lindgren to multi-year deals.
In 89 Games Played in Washington, Samsonov went 52-22-8, with a 2.81 Goals-Against Average and .902 Save Percentage.
By Michael Fleetwood
