With just over a week to go before the start of training camp, the Sharks announced that they have signed goaltender Ilya Samsonov to a one-year, two-way contract worth $850k at the NHL level and $225k in the minors. Samsonov is now the fourth goalie with NHL experience currently in the Sharks organization.
Last season, Samsonov appeared in 14 games with HK Sochi in the KHL, recording a 3.27 goals-against average, a .903 save percentage, and one shutout. In terms of his NHL experience, Samsonov has a 118-48-25 record, 2.77 goals-against average, .902 save percentage, and 15 shutouts in 200 regular season games across six seasons with the Washington Capitals, Toronto Maple Leafs, and Vegas Golden Knights. His best NHL season to date came in 2022-23 with the Maple Leafs, in which he posted 27 wins, a 2.33 GAA, .919 SV%, and four shutouts. He also has 22 games of Stanley Cup Playoff experience under his belt, recording a 3.05 GAA and .901 SV% in those contests.
Overall, this latest addition creates more competition among the goalie depth within the Sharks organization heading into training camp. Like with Eric Comrie, I expect Ilya Samsonov to spend most of next season in the AHL with the Barracuda. Hope all goes well with Ilya Samsonov's return to the NHL going forward. Stay tuned for my Sharks 2026-27 opening night roster prediction post coming soon.
Sources: Sharks + SAP Center App, Curtis Pashelka via X, PuckPedia
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