Even though they’re both now on different teams, it seems Ilya Samsonov and Linus Ullmark still have some bad blood between them.
The former Atlantic Division counterparts now tend goal for the Vegas Golden Knights and Ottawa Senators, respectively, after Vegas signed Samsonov to a one-year contract on July 1 and Ottawa traded for Ullmark earlier this summer.
Prior to that, Samsonov and Ullmark had been on opposite sides of the fierce rivalry between the Toronto Maple Leafs and Boston Bruins, with Ullmark’s side coming out ahead more often than not.
After Ullmark’s Bruins defeated Samsonov’s Leafs in the first round of the playoffs this past spring, Ullmark — who only appeared in one game during the series — expressed his surprise that then-Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe kept going back to Samsonov despite his struggles against Boston.
“I was surprised that they kept [Ilya] Samsonov in for that many games against us in the playoffs,” Ullmark said on an episode of Leafs Morning Take back in June. “I felt that every time we played the Leafs and [Joseph Woll] was in net, it felt like it was more of a challenge even though I’m not a player.
“Just watching him, it looked like he was in so much more control of the situation that was thrown at him,” Ullmark added.
Well, it appears Samsonov may have heard what Ullmark had to say about him. The 27-year-old goaltender, who will likely form a tandem with Adin Hill in Vegas this season, took to Instagram on Sunday to reply to a post about Ullmark being a top-10 goaltender in the NHL.
From @puckempire on Instagram
What playing for the leafs does to you 😂 pic.twitter.com/2wspU0k3qB
— Lawlör (@Alex_Lawlor_2) August 12, 2024
“#10❤️,” Samsonov originally replied, before adding: “November 21, keep your a– shut) or are you injured again?”
November 21, he date Samsonov mentioned in his comment, just so happens when the Golden Knights will play against Ullmark’s Senators in Ottawa for the first time in the 2024-25 regular season. The two teams will also meet at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on October 25.
Samsonov posted a 23-7-8 record and an .890 save percentage in 40 games with the Leafs in the 2023-24 season. The Magnitogorsk, Russia product appeared in five games against the Bruins in the first round, going 1-4 with an .896 save percentage.
The Leafs opted not to re-sign Samsonov after the season, electing instead to roll with Woll, Anthony Stolarz, and Matt Murray for 2024-25. Samsonov subsequently signed a one-year, $1.8 million contract with the Golden Knights as an unrestricted free agent.
It’s unclear whether Samsonov will actually play in either of Vegas’ games against Ottawa this season, especially with Hill and Akira Schmid also in the fold for the Golden Knights, but if he does, we’ll just have to wait and see whether anything from this war of words ends up spilling onto the ice.
