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Leading up to their third match with the Columbus Blue Jackets in two weeks at Nationwide Arena on Friday, the Toronto Maple Leafs were asking themselves how many more chances they could give goalie Ilya Samsonov before they reached the point that they could no longer trust him. The answer to that question was one.
The Leafs goaltender for the second time against the Metropolitan Division bottom dweller allowed six goals in a 6-5 overtime loss, and after allowing five or more goals in the third straight outing, it is very possible that last year’s primary starter may be placed on waivers to be demoted to the American Hockey League.
The Leafs made their usual share of defensive gaffes in the contest but did score five times and limited a club without team captain Boone Jenner, winger Patrik Laine, and defenseman Zach Werenski to 21 shots on goal. Toronto got goals from Mitch Marner, Auston Matthews, Nick Robertson, William Nylander, and John Tavares, and held a two-goal lead on two separate occasions in the second period, but Samsonov was awful and could not plug the leaks, allowing goals by Brendan Gaunce, Dmitri Voronkov, and Kent Johnson to score in the middle frame, rookie Adam Fantilli to tie the game in the third, and Johnny Gaudreau to win it in overtime.
“We played a good hockey game. If you play that game over 100 times, you probably win it 99 times, but you can’t make those types of mistakes with how Samsonov is going through it right now. We can’t make those kinds of mistakes. We have to support him better there, but we scored five. You should win that game nearly every time.” Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe said after the game. “We have an injury in goal right now. In back-to-back situations, you have to use both of your guys. There are times when we are going to need Sammy. In between his starts, he is going to have to continue to work and find himself.”
Samsonov’s crisis of confidence has reached critical mass at this point. Scoring five goals should be enough to win on most nights, but the club clearly cannot trust him to make even the most routine of saves in his current mindset, but the Leafs are bleeding points and have lost five of seven games during a stretch mostly against the dregs of the East in Ottawa, Columbus, and Buffalo.
GM Brad Treliving is in an unenviable position since Joseph Woll will likely not be back until after the All-Star break and only veteran Martin Jones to provide competent goaltending. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman on his recent “32 Thoughts” podcast quoted an unnamed NHL GM stating that the current prices being asked for available goaltenders on the trade market border on extortion, which leaves Toronto with very few options.
After Saturday’s matchup against the Carolina Hurricanes at Scotiabank Arena (with Jones getting the start), the club will head out on their annual California road trip with back-to-back games against Los Angeles and Anaheim on Tuesday and Wednesday. At this point, there is no way that Samsonov should get either one of those starts. Recalling 22-year-old Dennis Hildeby from the AHL Marlies was thought to be an act of desperation with his lack of experience in North America, but if you haven’t noticed, that time may have come.
Toronto Maple Leafs Blogger • 
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