The Toronto Maple Leafs are only five games into the 2023-24 season and already there are plenty of talking points surrounding this team. The stars are producing, new additions are still finding their footing and the team’s defense remains very questionable, there’s one more thing that can be added to the list that many may not want to hear.
A goalie controversy.
Ilya Samsonov was coming into this season after a strong 2022-23 campaign, earning a one-year contract extension in the process. However, the encore performance many were expecting hasn’t been anywhere near where he was last season. After letting in some weak goals every contest, he was pulled in their latest win against the Tampa Bay Lightning allowing three goals on four shots. That itself is unacceptable.
Backup goaltender Joseph Woll came into the game to stop the bleeding, stopping all 29 shots he faced to propel the Maple Leafs to a comeback win. That game alone is why the Maple Leafs have had hope for Woll as someone who could be a reliable goaltender for the future. He started the season as the backup, but is now looking to become the starter as a result of his play in a critical moment.
Woll Gaining Confidence
Woll has a had a long road to making it and solidifying his spot in the NHL. From overcoming injuries to having a rough start when he joined the Toronto Marlies in the American Hockey League, he has shown to continue to take strides and improve each season. Since coming into the NHL, he has continued to show the Maple Leafs that he’s able to play at a high level.
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This isn’t the first time where Woll has come into a tough situation. He’s already done that in the postseason when Samsonov left in Game 3 of their series against the Florida Panthers. That alone is a tough spot to come into and still look calm given the situation. Coming into a regular season game where the Maple Leafs haven’t got the consistency in goal from their starter, it was another chance for Woll to shine and prove his worth. As a result, he passed with flying colours.
Head coach Sheldon Keefe even stated that he’s been impressed with Woll’s play, especially coming in this moment. “He was ready for tonight even though he wasn’t supposed to play,” Keefe said according to The Hockey News’ David Alter. “That’s a really great sign for a young player and I’m really happy for him.”
Even Max Domi, who assisted on both of Matthew Knies’ goals to start the comeback, was impressed. He compared him to Carey Price as a result of his composure and calm style in net. Even when he was facing some tough chances, Woll was positionally sound and didn’t panic compared to the play of Samsonov.
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Keefe also added that door now is wide open with Woll pushing to get more starts and take advantage of Samsonov’s struggle to start the season. There was the potential that Woll could pave his path to being a starter. The time might be coming sooner than later.
The confidence that he continues to gain is only going to fuel him even more to hold down the starter spot and give the team the consistency needed in net to succeed.
Samsonov Hasn’t Been Himself
To say that Samsonov has struggled to start the season, is a massive understatement. It’s a small sample and while he has time to turn things around– as other starters have struggled– the numbers are not in his favour.
With a minimum of three games played, Samsonov is 31st in save percentage with .831 and has the second worst goals against average with 4.34, behind only Antti Raanta of the Carolina Hurricanes. Woll on the other hand has a .949 SV% and 1.69 GAA. Even looking at Samsonov’s underlying statistics, it gets much worse. With a minimum of 100 minutes played this season, here’s a breakdown of his numbers at five-on-five so far.
| Statistic | Result |
| SV% | .831 (34th) |
| GAA | 4.27 (34th) |
| GSAA | -5.76 (34th) |
| HDSV% | .533 (33rd) |
To have the kind of numbers where he was consistently in the top-15 last season to being completely at the bottom of the same categories this season is very concerning. Yes, the defense hasn’t helped out their goaltenders so far, but Samsonov’s vision, mobility and ability to let in weak goals constantly is very reminiscent to when he was with the Washington Capitals. He’s once again being over aggressive in net and isn’t as confident in goal. That has been a constant factor since the first game and was once again the case against the Lightning.
On the first goal, Samsonov was square to Nikita Kucherov, but his reaction was slow as the puck just squeaked underneath his blocker. On the second goal against, while it was a bad defensive breakdown, Samsonov was expecting the deflection to be high but he misread the play. On Kucherov’s second goal, Samsonov was once again late reacting and getting into position as Kucherov just wired it easily on net.
His lateral movements and reaction time were a problem on all three goals as his struggles continue to get worse. There was a point last season where if Samsonov got into a slump, he was able to get out of it. But given his play in the four starts he has this season, only one was considered a quality start. That isn’t good enough considering what he accomplished last season.
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Samsonov has to turn things around and fast as expectations are high. Otherwise, he could be watching a lot more games than expected.
Woll Won’t Make it Easy on Samsonov
If there’s one thing that should be taken from Woll’s impressive game coming in relief for Samsonov, it’s that he’s already closing the gap and taking advantage of Samsonov’s poor play. Woll’s not going to make it easy for Samsonov as he’s right behind him now itching to steal another spot away from an established NHL goaltender.
Keefe wants to see everyone challenge each other and Woll is already in the process of doing that. That internal competition is always huge for a team as it pushes everyone else. He is already expected to get the start against the Capitals and if he has another strong performance in that game, the job is his to run away with.
The fact that Woll is quickly impressing and making an impact is a great sign that he is ready for more.
Statistics from Natural Stat Trick, Hockey Reference and NHL.