EDMONTON – What is the definition of insanity? Doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result.
The Edmonton Oilers decided to run back the goaltending tandem of Stuart Skinner and Calvin Pickard. These were the two goalies that led the team to the Stanley Cup Final for a second consecutive season, so it’s not insane to run it back…is it?
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Some people think that it is—namely, Stan Bowman.
To be fair, Bowman didn’t use the phrase “insanity,” but he did say that goaltending was something he wanted to upgrade before the beginning of the 2025-26 season. As far as free agency goes, that ship has (largely) sailed.
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However, if the Oilers want to add a goaltender who has played in high-pressure markets before in a tandem situation, they would be hard-pressed to find a better goalie to pair with Skinner than Ilya Samsonov.
Why Is Ilya Samsonov the goalie to push Stuart Skinner?
There are four primary reasons why the Oilers should explore signing Samsonov if they haven’t kicked those tires already. Here they are:
Ilya Samsonov Won’t Break The Bank
One of the issues the Oilers face in upgrading their goaltending is the cost. They currently don't have a lot of salary cap space to work with.
However, if they were to trade a forward making north of $1 million or bury the contracts of Pickard and Max Jones, those moves would clear up the space needed to sign Samsonov to a $1 million contract.
But why would Samsonov sign such an inexpensive deal? The answer is simple: he's been on lower-cost deals this entire career.
Samsonov’s last four contracts have all been very affordable, with three of the four costing $2 million or less. The most he’s been paid on a one-year deal was $3.55 million. That deal came in after a 2.33 goals against average (GAA), .919 save percentage (SV%), and a four-shutout season.
Last year wasn’t Samsonov’s best performance, so it’s possible that he would be open to coming to a contending team on a $1 million cap hit.
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Samsonov Has Played In High-Intensity Markets Before
Being a goaltender in a high-pressure market like Edmonton requires mentally dealing with the pressure from the fan base and the media contingent. It’s a hot spotlight that will burn you up if you aren’t careful. Considering his previous experience, Samsonov has the stones to handle it.
At this point in his 200 games played career, Samsonov has played for three different organizations. He began his career with the Washington Capitals, then spent time with the Toronto Maple Leafs before joining the Vegas Golden Knights last year.
Samsonov played two years for the Maple Leafs, one of them being the season that earned him his highest payday to date. He may not have stuck around, but the fact that he spent two years playing for the Maple Leafs and dealing with the hype of the biggest hockey city in Canada, in addition to an Original Six team, is a feather in his cap.
Samsonov Has Been In A Similar Situation
Samsonov is no stranger to playing in a 1A/1B situation. The best example of this in his career was the 2021-22 season.
He shared the net with Vitek Vanecek for the Capitals. The amount of games played between the two goaltenders was nearly split in half. Samsonov and Vanecek started 39 games each, with Zach Fucale and Pheonix Copley splitting the remaining four starts.
When he played for the Maple Leafs, he was the starting goaltender, starting 40 games in back-to-back seasons. He fared well overall and has proven himself capable of at least 30-40 starts per season.
Samsonov Is A Better Fit Than Pickard
The final reason that Samsonov’s agent should get a call from the Oilers is the fact that he’s a better fit to push Skinner than Pickard is.
Samsonov has started at least 39 games for three of the last four seasons. The 2024-25 season wasn’t his best, but he still walked away with a 2.82 GAA, a .891 SV%, and two shutouts.
However, according to NHL Edge data, he was better than both Skinner and Pickard in two key areas: high-danger save percentage (HDSV%) and mid-range save percentage (MRSV%).
Samsonov boasted a .814 HDSV% and an .871 MRSV%. Samsonov was better in both metrics compared to Pickard. Samsonov’s HDSV% was better than Skinner's, but Skinner held a better MRSV%.
Despite the down year, Samsonov could be an inexpensive option for the Oilers to explore. He’s played in high-intensity hockey markets and operated in a full-goalie-tandem scenario. These are the reasons that he is an ideal candidate to acquire and push Skinner.
And what’s the alternative, insanity? I’d like to think that’s off the table.
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