After several seasons of playing in the National Hockey League, including for the Toronto Maple Leafs, goaltender Ilya Samsonov returned to his native Russia to join HC Sochi with the KHL.
However, he decided to return to the NHL for the upcoming season, agreeing to join the upstart San Jose Sharks with a one-year, two-way contract.
However, Samsonov has another hurdle to clear in his quest for regular playing time.
The Sharks Waived Former Maple Leafs Goaltender Ilya Samsonov
As part of their latest round of roster cuts, the Sharks placed Samsonov on waivers, making him available to the other 31 NHL clubs for 24 hours. If he goes unclaimed, he will be assigned to San Jose’s American Hockey League affiliate, the San Jose Barracuda.
That turned out to be the case, as he’s now with the Barracuda after going unclaimed.
“Ilya Samsonov has cleared waivers, per PuckPedia, and has been assigned to the Barracuda,” wrote Sharks beat writer Curtis Pashelka on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Ilya Samsonov Played Part Of His NHL Career With The Maple Leafs
Samsonov signed with Washington in 2018 and spent most of his first season with AHL Hershey before joining the Capitals full time the following year. He quickly made an impact, winning his first 11 NHL starts and finishing the 2019-20 season 16-6-2. An injury kept him out of Washington’s playoff run.
After Braden Holtby’s departure, Samsonov became the Capitals’ No. 1 goalie in 2020-21. Injuries and COVID-19 absences limited him, but he posted a 13-4-1 record in 19 games. He remained in Washington through 2021-22, when he recorded his first 20-win season.
Samsonov signed with Toronto in 2022 and took over as the Maple Leafs’ starter after Matt Murray was injured. He won 27 games in his first season and helped Toronto win a playoff series for the first time since 2004. After receiving a one-year contract through arbitration in 2023, Samsonov was placed on waivers later that year following a difficult stretch.
But he would be back in net for the Leafs eventually, playing in four of their seven postseason games against the divisional rival Boston Bruins, in which they were defeated.
After becoming a free agent following the 2023-24 season, Samsonov signed a one-year deal with the Vegas Golden Knights in July 2024.
So far in his NHL career, Samsonov has gone 118-48-25 with a 2.77 goals-against average, a .902 save percentage, and 15 shutouts.
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