Ilya Samsonov, recently sent down to the AHL after a brutal start to the NHL season, won’t see any action this week with the Toronto Marlies, Toronto Maple Leafs GM Brad Treliving said on Tuesday.
Treliving said Samsonov won’t practice or play with the Marlies, and will instead focus on a “physical and mental reset.”
Treliving added that the decision to send Samsonov down was met with “a little bit of shock.”
“I felt strongly that we had to do something different to help Ilya,” Treliving said. “To me, what we’re seeing here is the mental drives the bus a little bit, and it’s hard to correct the physical and maybe the technical side when there’s a lot going on. … We’re trying to let the air out of the balloon a little bit.”
Samsonov, 26, cleared waivers on Monday after suffering a 6-5 overtime loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets on Dec. 29.
It was the latest in a series of setbacks for the Russian, who has a .862 save percentage and a 3.94 goals-against average, both career lows.
Last season, Samsonov had a career-high .919 save percentage and a 27-10-5 record, earning the netminder a one-year, $3.55-million contract after going through arbitration in the summer.
Ahead of their upcoming road trip through California, the Maple Leafs called up rookie goaltender Dennis Hildeby to back up Martin Jones.
Joseph Woll had served as Toronto’s starter until he suffered an ankle injury on Dec. 7 in a game against the Ottawa Senators.