After spending the 2025-26 season in the KHL, former Toronto Maple Leafs goaltender Ilya Samsonov returns to North America on a two-way contract with the San Jose Sharks.
The San Jose Sharks have signed former Toronto Maple Leafs goaltender Ilya Samsonov to a one-year, two-way contract, the Pacific Division team announced on Tuesday.
His NHL salary will be $850,000 against the cap, according to PuckPedia.
Samsonov is returning to play hockey in North America after spending the 2025-26 season in the KHL with Sochi. He didn't end up playing as many games as he might've thought he would in Russia, making 14 appearances. He posted a .903 save percentage and a 3.27 goals-against average in that stint.
The 2024-25 campaign marked the last time Samsonov featured in the NHL. He featured for the Vegas Golden Knights that year, making 29 appearances. The Russian netminder posted a .891 SP in those 29 games, earning a 16-9-four record.
Samsonov also played two seasons with the Maple Leafs, one year much better than the other. He joined Toronto in free agency ahead of the 2022-23 season, signing a one-year deal at $1.8 million.
In that first season with the Leafs, Samsonov was great, sharing the net with Matt Murray for the most part. He wound up playing in 42 games and registered an excellent .919 SP and a 2.33 GAA with a 27-10-5 record.
The next year wasn't so great for the 6-foot-3 goaltender. He signed a new contract, which was another one-year agreement, but at a $3.55-million cap hit. In 40 games, he posted a .890 SP and a 3.13 GAA.
For the Sharks this upcoming season on a two-way deal, Samsonov likely ranks behind Yaroslav Askarov, Alex Nedeljkovic and Eric Comrie on the goaltending depth chart. Therefore, the AHL's San Jose Barracuda is where the 29-year-old will likely spend most of his time in 2026-27.
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