‘It’s hard for my family to look at this’: Samsonov opens up about mental struggles

NASHVILLE — Ilya Samsonov walked off a sheet of suburban Nashville practice ice Friday with a Toronto Maple Leafs logo on his chest and poured his heart on his sleeve.

“If I said I feel great, it’s not the truth. I feel shit,” the goaltender said candidly, still sweating from the team’s sake. “But it’s a piece of my life. I’m a guy who’s going to be fighting through this. I will (be) fighting every day. Just not my time, the last three games. I know I’m better goalie than this.”

A bad week in the NHL can weigh like a bad month.

Last Saturday, the 26-year-old Samsonov owned Toronto’s net. As the highest paid, highest pedigree and most experienced goaltender in the organization, Samsonov had first crack at owning the crease.

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Then he allowed three goals on four shots in Tampa Bay, got yanked from the net, and a storm of negativity invaded his thoughts.

Upcoming, homegrown Joseph Woll thew on a mask and a cape, saving a win against the rival Lightning, then reeling off two more in Washington and Dallas while a shaken Samsonov took a breath, cleared his mind, and returned to the basics.

Leaf Nation was quick to anoint a new starter and coach Sheldon Keefe and the Leafs players sang the new guy’s praises. Samsonov, too, was grateful Woll stopped the bleeding.

“Guys saved my ass in a game. We win this game. I want to just to say thank you for everybody,” said Samonov.

Especially Woll.

“It’s just unbelievable. We need to be happy because we have a great goalie, and he’s really good three games for us. Yeah, it was really important for our team,” Samsonov said.

“It’s competition for me, you know? Like, we need to push each other. Yeah, and we’re ready. We’re both ready for this.”

Samsonov is capable of rebounding from a mental lapse and has been leaning on all resources available to do so.

He publicly thanked his coaches and teammates for talking him through this tough time. He has Googled articles on mental strength; leaned on his wife, Mariya, and his family for support; and spent plenty of time with goalie coach Curtis Sanford, who is preaching positivity.

The Russian got into his own head last season, too, when he was battling Matt Murray for starts. A return to Washington proved too nerve-wracking. Still, he responded from his early-season dip to seize the Leafs’ net and outduel countryman Andrei Vasilevskiy, backstopping Toronto to its first series victory in 19 years.

“It’s a mental game for him right now,” Keefe explained. “But I think the important message here is that it’s early.

“It’s early. Let’s relax. This is a really good goalie that carried us through some tough times last year and had a career year, so let’s let it breathe. Tomorrow’s another opportunity for him to get in there and build his game back.”

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Samsonov will carry his 2-1-0 record and .831 save percentage into Bridgestone Arena Saturday, facing Juuse Saros at the Predators’ end.

Captain John Tavares said it’s on the Leafs to limit Grade-A chances Saturday and help Samsonov rediscover his groove, his confidence. (What should help is that the Predators are not known as one of the league’s offensive juggernauts.)

At various points during Friday’s practice, Keefe, Sanford, and Woll all took a moment to glide over and give Samsonov an encouraging pep talk.

“When you’re a kid, you just enjoy hockey. Just enjoy,” said Samsonov.

Remember, he is a new dad who was taken to arbitration over the summer by the Leafs and did not secure the multi-year contract he’d been hoping for. Again, he’s on another one-year, prove-it deal, an unrestricted free agent in the summer of 2024.

“I’m thinking more about team, about my family. Because, yes, this team is my second family. My first family (is) at home, and everybody’s so sad about this too. You know, like everybody watch some hockey. Everybody stays positive, but I know how it’s hard for my family to look at this,” Samsonov said. “Sometimes we have this in life. It’s a big opportunity for me.”

“It’s hard time for me, but I will be figuring out this.”

One-Timers: Jake McCabe (lower body) had an MRI in Nashville Friday afternoon. There is no timeline for his return, but it sounds significant. “We’re not expecting it to be a day-to-day thing,” Keefe said…. William Lagesson was recalled from the Marlies and will play the left side of Toronto’s third pairing alongside John Klingberg. “It’s probably really just the experience that he’s had in the league,” Keefe said. “He was signed for this purpose, to be a recall guy for us.”… Prospect Fraser Minten has returned to the Kamloops Blazers.

Maple Leafs projected lineup Saturday in Nashville:

Järnkrok – Matthews – Marner
Bertuzzi – Tavares – Nylander
Knies – Kämpf – Domi
Gregor – Holmberg – Reaves

Rielly – Brodie
Giordano – Liljegren
Lagesson – Klingberg

Samsonov starts
Woll

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