Player Discussion Ilya Samsonov [#35] discussion

[Darcy Tucker]

One bad game for Sammy doesn't even register for me as a concern when our PP is such a massive liability.

You would think with the league's top goal scorer and all the other weapons at our disposal this wouldn't be an issue but it is getting out of hand. Is it coaching ? A mental issue with the players? Puck luck? No PP in the playoffs is a death sentence.

Might need to outscore our goalie issues

 

[BraveCanadian]

You would think with the league's top goal scorer and all the other weapons at our disposal this wouldn't be an issue but it is getting out of hand. Is it coaching ? A mental issue with the players? Puck luck? No PP in the playoffs is a death sentence.

Might need to outscore our goalie issues

It's simple - they refuse to put the puck to the net where a waiting Tavares and Bertuzzi are always waiting and instead pass around the outside constantly until they lose the puck or manage to get the cross ice pass to Matthews.

Very predictable, no point shot threat whatsoever, and horribly tired zone entry with the dumb pass back in the neutral zone nonsense that robs them of all their speed gaining the zone.

They need a defenseman that can shoot back there if Marner is on the other point, and they need to play with a focus of getting to the net instead of dipsy doodling around for half the powerplay between shot attempts.

 

[TMLegend]

I don't see him being brought back. It's nice he's been able to rebound, but his start to the year might have been the worst goaltending I've ever seen in a Leaf uniform. I don't have much faith in him going forward, just a consistently inconsistent goaltender in the mold of a Campbell, Reimer, or Bernier before him.

 

[JT AM da real deal]

He didn't have a good game last night but Brodie cost us a few last night .. why did Brodie even lace em up .. completely washed even at AHL level based on his paly last night

 

[Darcy Tucker]

I don't see him being brought back. It's nice he's been able to rebound, but his start to the year might have been the worst goaltending I've ever seen in a Leaf uniform. I don't have much faith in him going forward, just a consistently inconsistent goaltender in the mold of a Campbell, Reimer, or Bernier like those before him.

Yeah pretty true. It's a shame because his top end is pretty good.

 

[BraveCanadian]

He didn't have a good game last night but Brodie cost us a few last night .. why did Brodie even lace em up .. completely washed even at AHL level based on his paly last night

At this point the only person in the whole universe that thinks Brodie and Rielly should EVER play together again is... Sheldon Keefe.

Brodie was literally 10x better playing his strong side with a different partner. He is just at a point that he can no longer cover up for Rielly.

 

[thusk]

How do you figure we should be chill about this?

Samsonov has it in him to be a trainwreck of a goalie. As shown for pretty much a whole month at the start of the season and as shown yesterday.

We all HOPE it's a blip, but with a guy like him, it's just blind hope to some extent.
The playoffs are around the corner. We don't have time for him to figure himself out anymore.

Vasilevskiy also had his part of issues

last season bobrovsky wasn't been better before playoff start.

hill was backup and step in bevause of an injury

come playoff start, you just need your goalie being hot at the right time. Since february, Samsonov is pretty hot and its not 1 game who changing it.

 

[ToneDog]

Yeah pretty true. It's a shame because his top end is pretty good.

Stolarz and Ned are UFAs next year.

 

[Gary Nylund]

You would think with the league's top goal scorer and all the other weapons at our disposal this wouldn't be an issue but it is getting out of hand. Is it coaching ? A mental issue with the players? Puck luck? No PP in the playoffs is a death sentence.

Might need to outscore our goalie issues

Yup. This is my #1 concern heading into the playoffs and it boggles the mind that a team with all this offensive talent can have a PP in such bad shape. SMH.

 

[ToneDog]

You would think with the league's top goal scorer and all the other weapons at our disposal this wouldn't be an issue but it is getting out of hand. Is it coaching ? A mental issue with the players? Puck luck? No PP in the playoffs is a death sentence.

Might need to outscore our goalie issues

Or hope Bob is as bad as Vasi was last year.

 

[Darcy Tucker]

Or hope Bob is as bad as Vasi was last year.

Keefe might have to whisper to Domi or Bert to be a good soldier and run him over.

 

[thusk]

It's simple - they refuse to put the puck to the net where a waiting Tavares and Bertuzzi are always waiting and instead pass around the outside constantly until they lose the puck or manage to get the cross ice pass to Matthews.

Very predictable, no point shot threat whatsoever, and horribly tired zone entry with the dumb pass back in the neutral zone nonsense that robs them of all their speed gaining the zone.

They need a defenseman that can shoot back there if Marner is on the other point, and they need to play with a focus of getting to the net instead of dipsy doodling around for half the powerplay between shot attempts.

thats not the problem, watch leafs pp and watch how many 1v1 battle they lost on pp. What i saw since leafs pp started to see, when opponent pressure leafs and forced them to win battle... they lost those battle and the puck basically 75-80% of the time. They are always 2nd on puck. Its hard to produce when youre unable to win those battle and 2nd on rebound or bouncing puck.

Its not about skill or strategy, its about working harder in that psrt of the game

 

[RunItBackAgain]

PP and PK are much bigger issues. The PK hasn’t defended an entry all season and the PP takes 40 seconds to enter the zone and setup and has lost all movement in it.

Sammy will be fine if the team is fine. The first two goals were horrific giveaways and then 3 goals on the PK. Pretty hard to keep confidence when your D is throwing pizzas all night.

 

[TMLegend]

Stolarz and Ned are UFAs next year.

I think they'll address the goaltending through trade this summer. It's a weak UFA class for goaltenders. Treliving has never been one to bargain bin shop for goaltending throughout his career. Wouldn't shock me one bit to see one of Gibson, Saros, Merzlinkens, or Markstrom in a Leaf uniform next season.

 

[ACC1224]

Is it confirmed that Van Ryn has taken over coaching of the PK, PP and Goaltending?
There can be no other explanation.

 

[robertmac43]

He is the definitely the guy going into the playoffs. I wouldn't be surprised to see Woll come in at some point in relief though .

 

[BraveCanadian]

thats not the problem, watch leafs pp and watch how many 1v1 battle they lost on pp. What i saw since leafs pp started to see, when opponent pressure leafs and forced them to win battle... they lost those battle and the puck basically 75-80% of the time. They are always 2nd on puck. Its hard to produce when youre unable to win those battle and 2nd on rebound or bouncing puck.

Its not about skill or strategy, its about working harder in that psrt of the game

Gotta get the zone before you can win battles but yeah, the Leaf forwards are atrocious winning the puck on the boards generally too. One reason the fourth line with Kampf Dewar and Reeves has been so good lately.. they can cycle the puck and make the other team work. No wonder Keefe sat Reeves and broke it up!

 

[TheTotalPackage]

It's kind of shocking to see that even with his huge 20-game stretch, he is still sporting a SV% below .900 and a GAA over 3.00. Goes to show just how awful his start to this season was.

 

[IPS]

Is it confirmed that Van Ryn has taken over coaching of the PK, PP and Goaltending?
There can be no other explanation.

Only logical explanation

 

[JT AM da real deal]

What I notice is we take way too long loading up with da Russian backward pass system which kills at least a third of our PP .. I don't watch a ton of other NHL teams play but few games I have seen no one takes as long as us to retool and attack again .. so bottom line we have less time in attacking end to score .. this makes NO sense to me

 

[Clark4Ever]

I will give him the benefit of the doubt following his lousy performance last night because of his consistency since he came back.

Hopefully he can shake it off and go into the playoffs feeling confident.

 

[sxvnert]

I don't see him being brought back. It's nice he's been able to rebound, but his start to the year might have been the worst goaltending I've ever seen in a Leaf uniform. I don't have much faith in him going forward, just a consistently inconsistent goaltender in the mold of a Campbell, Reimer, or Bernier before him.

Agreed.

IMO they'll go with three goaltenders. Woll as a 1A and two others (Murray + ?) share the 1B.

 

[RunItBackAgain]

Agreed.

IMO they'll go with three goaltenders. Woll as a 1A and two others (Murray + ?) share the 1B.

I’ll say the same thing as last offseason. What makes you think Woll is a 1A or at all capable of playing even 40 games a season? 37 is his high in a decade of hockey.

 

[yubbers]

PP and PK are much bigger issues. The PK hasn’t defended an entry all season and the PP takes 40 seconds to enter the zone and setup and has lost all movement in it.

Sammy will be fine if the team is fine. The first two goals were horrific giveaways and then 3 goals on the PK. Pretty hard to keep confidence when your D is throwing pizzas all night.

There's no defending his performance last night. Even his body language on the Gio giveaway goal pissed me off. It's like he didn't even try since the puck was given away.

 

[Jimmy Firecracker]

He needs to have a strong game against Detroit tomorrow otherwise he may collapse in on himself with a seed of doubt.