Leafs' Samsonov awarded 1-year, $3.55M contract by arbitrator

Toronto Maple Leafs goaltender Ilya Samsonov was awarded a one-year contract worth $3.55 million in arbitration, the team announced Sunday.

Samsonov, 26, played 42 games with the Maple Leafs in 2022-23, posting a .919 save percentage and a 2.33 goals-against average. In the postseason, he had a .898 SV% in nine appearances before going down with an injury in Game 3 against the Florida Panthers.

The Russian had a cap hit of $1.8 million last season after the Washington Capitals didn't tender him a qualifying offer.

Samsonov will be an unrestricted free agent at the expiration of the contract next summer.

The Maple Leafs filed at $2.4 million, while Samsonov was at $4.9 million, according to Friedman. The arbitrator's award is $100,000 less than the middle of the two filings.

Samsonov has played 131 games in the NHL with a career save percentage of .908. He was drafted 22nd overall by the Capitals in 2015 and played three seasons in Washington.

Toronto has goaltenders Matt Murray ($4.6875-million cap hit) and Joseph Woll ($766,667) already on one-way contracts.

The Maple Leafs will have a second buyout window that opens Wednesday. Players eligible to be bought out by Toronto must have been on the team's roster prior to the trade deadline and have a cap hit of $4 million or more, per CapFriendly.

The ruling leaves the Maple Leafs $6.75 million over the cap, according to CapFriendly. The projection includes Jake Muzzin's $5.625-million cap hit on long-term injured reserve.