Former Maple Leaf Makes a Surprising Move Overseas as His NHL Chapter Ends

After several seasons in the NHL, former Toronto Maple Leaf Ilya Samsonov has officially signed a two-year contract with HK Sochi in the KHL.

It's a surprising turn in his career and a reflective moment for all Maple Leafs fans who watched his ups and downs in Toronto.

Samsonov was currently a free agent and though he could have had his suitors, there was already seemingly logjams everywhere and he couldn't find a job as a starter or a backup.

For his career, Samsonov has a 118-48-25 record with a 2.77 GAA and .902 SV% while playing with Washington, Toronto, and Vegas.

During his time in Toronto, he was very solid though a bit shaky come postseason time. His regular season record was 50-17-13 with a 2.71 GAA and .905 SV% but during the playoffs was 5-8-0 with a .897 SV% and a 3.09 GAA.

There is a clause however in his deal that if Samsonov were to receive and NHL offer at any point during his two-year deal, his contract with Sochi can be immediately terminated and he is allowed to pursue a job in North America.

He will join former NHL players William Bitten and former Maple Leafs prospect Max Ellis, as well as Minnesota Wild prospect Matvei Guskov and Carolina Hurricanes prospect Fyodor Avramov.

Sochi can definitely use the goaltending help as they sit in the basement of the KHL's Western Conference with a 2-12-2-2 record and a minus-30 goal differential, so hopefully Samsonov can come in and stop the bleeding.

No stranger to the KHL, Samsonov has also played for Metallurg Magnitogorsk before being drafted by the Washington Capitals 22nd overall in 2015.

More details to come.