Ilya Samsonov returns to the NHL, signs a one year deal with new team

Ilya Samsonov is getting another shot at the NHL. The veteran goaltender has returned to North America after spending last season in the KHL, signing a one-year contract with the San Jose Sharks as he looks to resurrect his NHL career and prove that there is still plenty of gas left in the tank. For Samsonov, it is a chance to turn the page after a winding few years that have taken him from being one of the NHL's most highly touted young goaltenders to a player fighting for another opportunity at the highest level.

Samsonov entered the NHL with plenty of expectations after the Washington Capitals selected him 22nd overall in the 2015 NHL Draft. At the time, he was regarded as one of the top goaltending prospects in the world, and Washington appeared to have found its long-term successor to Braden Holtby.

It took some time for Samsonov to establish himself, but there were certainly flashes of why the Capitals invested a first-round pick in him. During the 2021-22 season, he appeared in 44 games for Washington, posting a 23-12-5 record. After that season, however, the Capitals decided to move on, allowing Samsonov to hit unrestricted free agency.

That's when Toronto came calling.

The Maple Leafs signed Samsonov to a one-year contract in the summer of 2022, and the move quickly looked like a potential steal. Samsonov put together the best regular season of his NHL career in 2022-23, going 27-10-5 with a sparkling .919 save percentage and a 2.33 goals-against average over 42 games. He also helped Toronto finally get over its notorious playoff hump, as the Maple Leafs defeated the Tampa Bay Lightning in the opening round for their first playoff series victory since 2004.

Unfortunately for Samsonov, consistency became an issue. His 2023-24 campaign was a significant step backward, as he finished with a 3.13 GAA and .890 save percentage in 40 games. Toronto ultimately moved on, and Samsonov signed a one-year deal with the Vegas Golden Knights in the summer of 2024.

His lone season in Vegas produced mixed results. Samsonov went 16-9-4 with a 2.82 GAA and .891 save percentage in 29 appearances, numbers that weren't disastrous but certainly weren't enough to establish himself as a clear-cut NHL starter. After the season, he left for the KHL, where he spent time with Sochi.

Now, however, Samsonov is back.

And the Sharks could be an intriguing landing spot for him.

San Jose already has an interesting group of goaltenders, led by Yaroslav Askarov, the highly touted young netminder who is expected to be given an opportunity to establish himself as the organization's long-term starter. Behind him, the Sharks have veteran Alex Nedeljkovic and Eric Comrie, who signed a two-year contract with San Jose this offseason. NHL.com identified Comrie and Nedeljkovic as competitors for playing time behind Askarov.

Adding Samsonov makes that competition even more fascinating.

At 29 years old, Samsonov isn't exactly a prospect anymore, but he also isn't a goaltender whose career is necessarily over. He has already demonstrated that he can handle a starter's workload in the NHL, and his 2022-23 season in Toronto showed just how effective he can be when everything clicks.

The Sharks don't necessarily need Samsonov to become a 50-game starter. Instead, this could be an opportunity for him to compete for NHL starts, provide veteran depth and potentially push Askarov and the rest of the goaltending group.

For Samsonov, that's probably all he needs right now: another door opening.

After going from Washington to Toronto, Vegas and then the KHL, the Russian goaltender has taken the long way back to the NHL. Now with San Jose, he gets another opportunity to remind everyone why he was once considered one of the most promising young goalies in hockey.