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The Toronto Maple Leafs and goalie Ilya Samsonov are set to meet for arbitration on Friday, and on Wednesday the two sides filed their respective offers. The Leafs submitted the amount of $2.4 million, while Samsonov’s representatives submitted the amount of $4.9 million.
After not being qualified and signing a one-year, $1.8 million deal last summer, Samsonov had a career year with Toronto, posting a 27-10-5 record, 2.33 GAA, and .919 save % and leading the Leafs past the Tampa Bay Lightning for their first playoff series victory in 19 seasons.
Have a great wkd everyone! Our LTL Insider, Mike Augello, joined us for our first #PatioSeason episode and he has some 🔥takes on the #Leafs
Samsonov is one year away from unrestricted free agency, which means he likely will get a one-year deal out of arbitration or agree to a settlement for one year or more. Based on the changes made to Leafs management over the last month, it is likely that Toronto will want a one-year deal that will walk Samsonov to free agency since that will keep the salary ask reasonably low, but Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman indicated in his weekly spot on NHL Network that the Leafs would like to get a multi-year deal done with Samsonov, but that would mean buying multiple unrestricted years and raise his AAV.
The salary range on a one-year settlement is likely between $3.5-to-4.5 million, putting Samsonov’s cap hit in the same neighborhood as the buyout of Matt Murray’s final season. The Leafs save $4 million in cap space in year one if they buy out Murray, but indications are that GM Brad Treliving is still trying to deal the two-time Cup winner before the second buyout window opens after Samsonov’s arbitration hearing later this month or in early August.
Toronto Maple Leafs Blogger • 
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