The Toronto Maple Leafs find themselves in a goaltending crisis. After last night’s loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets, it’s pretty clear that the situation with Ilya Samsonov has reached a critical juncture. His recent performances clearly raise questions about his suitability for an NHL net. Over his last four starts, Samsonov has allowed a staggering 21 goals. That’s simply too many to allow for an NHL goalie. The question now is, what do the Maple Leafs do?

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Samsonov Is Struggling Both Physically and Mentally

The eye test aligns with the statistics, indicating that Samsonov’s struggles are affecting both him and the team. His technical issues in the crease are impacting his mental composure. He is, in short, a mess. That’s sad because he showed last season that he was both a skilled goalie and a character person. It’s hard not to root for the good guys; and, it seems to me that he’s a good guy.

Now what to do? One potential solution lies in following the example of the Edmonton Oilers with former Maple Leafs stopper Jack Campbell. Campbell was waived and sent to the American Hockey League to work out his problems. The trouble is that it didn’t work that well for him. And, as Kevin Bieksa said on a Hockey Night in Canada broadcast it didn’t work for Campbell and it likely won’t work for Samsonov. I don’t disagree. It does seem illogical, but what else to do?

As Maple Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe noted before the Columbus game, we have to get Samsonov going. Yet, that strategy didn’t work. Now the problem is clear, Samsonov likely can’t be trusted to hold his team in games. Even if the Campbell situation is a realistic example, you just can’t trust Samsonov to hold the fort. If this play is an example, he won’t be able to.

Is Waiving Samsonov the Answer for the Maple Leafs?

It would seem that letting Samsonov address his issues isn’t going to happen in the NHL. As well, it might not happen at the AHL level either. That said, placing him on waivers could open up valuable salary cap space, enabling the Maple Leafs to explore alternative goaltending options. I don’t even dare say that the Detroit Red Wings waived Michael Hutchinson this past week. Where’s the old Erik Kallgren when we need him?

Hockey analysts seem to suggest that lifting either of their two AHL prospects, Dennis Hildeby or Keith Petruzzelli, to the big club isn’t a preferable option. However, to my mind, unless you’re going to bring in Marc-Andre Fleury (or a similar proven entity) to be the goalie, you don’t want to move any more young talent out for a rental.

The situation presents internal choices for the Maple Leafs. While Hildeby shows promise, should he be thrust into high-pressure situations this early in his career? Petruzzelli also has limited AHL experience, and he could be another option. However, he’s not playing nearly as well as Hildeby.

I believe it’s useless in the long run to explore available a third-string NHL goalie or an AHL netminder to help the team in the immediate future. However, for some reason, in my mind, I keep returning to Kallgren somehow. Yet, he’s having a poor season with the AHL’s Utica Comets with a record of 1-5-2, a goals-against-average of 4.21, and a save percentage of .853 in 10 games. So, erase that thought.

The Maple Leafs’ Goalie Question Is Urgent

The urgency of the Maple Leafs goalie situation might push the organization into making a bold move. However, I do hope they don’t waste a solid prospect for a short-term solution. I’d rather see the Maple Leafs ride out the Samsonov storm than move a prospect for basically nothing.

The decision-making process involves balancing short-term needs with long-term player development considerations, making it a challenging situation for the coaching staff. I’m glad I’m not in charge of this dilemma. It’s a tough one.

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