The Toronto Maple Leafs have signed newly-minted free agent goaltender Ilya Samsonov to a one year contract at just $1.8M..

The Leafs Get: A high-upside, but so far disappointing 25-year-old goalie. Yes, that's right – 25. That's the age that most goalies start their NHL tenure. But Samsonov is three seasons in. And while those seasons haven't been impressive, the fact remains that this prospect was rushed into the NHL too quickly.

Fantasy Players Impacted: This is the perfect scenario for Toronto, who took a big risk bringing in Matt Murray. We all know that Murray will be injured. The question is, will he miss 15 games or 55 games. So they need a goalie who can slot in for a ton of starts if necessary, or would be okay with fewer starts. Samsonov is ideal because if he does well – they can lock him in long-term and have their future goalie.

*Compare Murray vs. Samsonov here in our compare-goalie page *

The Leafs are getting into the playoffs no matter what. They are probably going to be a Top 3 team in the east again, regardless of goalie. So this entire season is just a trial between the two goalies to see if one steps up. With a strong team in front of them, each of them have a real shot at turning their respective careers around.

For now, play this as if both goalies play 40-45 games (with Murray as the starter, but missing 20 with injury). Their peripherals may be shaky, especially early on, but each of these goalies are looking at 25 wins. And "wins" is a category in every fantasy league.

Both Murray and Samsonov see a spike in fantasy value, particularly in dynasty leagues.

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