Maple Leafs nominate Ilya Samsonov for Bill Masterton Trophy

Struggles followed Samsonov ever since he got injured in last year's playoffs against the Florida Panthers. After he played an important role in the team success in the first round, he injured himself and missed the rest of the year. However, his great performances earned him a one-year deal at $3.5M with Toronto.

Sadly, he couldn't get back to that level when the season started. In December, after a few very poor games, he was sent down to the AHL.

A few weeks later, he regained his confidence and was back with the Maple Leafs. Since he got back, he won 16 games out of 21 starts.

This is what the Bill Masterton trophy highlights.

All teams must nominate a player who went through a lot over the season, let's take a look at the other candidates.

Across the NHL, many players could win the award. First, there's Frederik Andersen, the candidate from the Hurricanes, who got back recently after a blood clotting issue; then, there's Alex Pietrangelo, who had a great year, even if he took a leave of absence to take care of his sick daughter; Jonathan Quick, who, at 38, became the winningest U.S.-born goalie in NHL history; Jonathan Drouin, who reached the 50-point mark after many years of struggles in Montreal.

For us, the biggest surprise comes from the Blue Jackets. They nominated Zach Werenski. While he deserves to be on that list, we thought that Columbus should've put either Patrik Laine, who spent most of the season on the Player Assistance Program, or Boone Jenner, who recently announced the tragic passing of his child.

More to come.

Source: Hockey Patrol - Samsonov nominated for the Bill Masterton Trophy