Did you know that the Vegas Golden Knights changed Toshiba Plaza's name to Paramount+ Plaza today? It might be the most noteworthy thing happening before the season starts, aside from Ilya Samsonov signing with the San Jose Sharks.
Remember him? He has a career GAA of 2.77, a save percentage of .902, and 15 shutouts during his six-year goaltending career. He also has a goaltending record of 118-48-25, making him good on the surface. However, Golden Knights fans will remember him quite differently from his one-year Vegas residency.
He posted a GAA of 2.82, a save percentage of .891, and two shutouts in 2024-25. That's a far cry from his stellar 2022-23 campaign with the Toronto Maple Leafs, when he posted a GAA of 2.33, a save percentage of .919, and four shutouts.
✍️ We’ve signed goaltender Ilya Samsonov.
— San Jose Sharks (@SanJoseSharks) September 8, 2026
Now, the Russian goaltender will deal with a legion of hungry "Heated Rivalry" fans and young 20-somethings thirsty for a little Celebrini action. But there isn't much to the signing other than goaltending depth. After all, this is a one-year, two-way contract.
Last season, Samsonov appeared in 14 games with the KHL's HK Sochi, posting a GAA of 3.27, a save percentage of .903, and a shutout. Before going to his native Russia last season, he backed up Adin Hill during his 2024-25 campaign. Here, the Stanley Cup hero earned a six-year deal by posting a GAA of 2.47 and a save percentage of .906. He also added four shutouts, getting much-needed rest thanks to Samsonov backing him up.
Vegas Golden Knights fans could be reunited with Ilya Samsonov as the San Jose Sharks add more goaltending depth
Looking at the current Sharks' depth chart, the goaltending room consists of Alex Nedeljkovic, Yaroslav Askarov, and Eric Comrie. The addition of Ilya Samsonov gives San Jose plenty of options, should one netminder go down. Granted, there's a known risk associated with keeping the Russian netminder on board.
Okay, I was talking about his misplay against the Utah Hockey Club. But that also works.
Anyway, Samsonov has a horrible habit of misplaying the puck and putting himself in a compromised position. He doesn't have the situational awareness to make the right play, leading to blunders. That could stem from being overly aggressive in his netminding style, which has provided a high-risk, high-reward style in past seasons. In turn, you have moments like these that pop up.
Still, the Sharks have a cheap goaltending room heading into the 2026-27 season. Before Samsonov's signing, they had $6.15 million committed to the position, according to PuckPedia. Whether that works out or not for San Jose remains to be seen. However, it doesn't hurt to add another goaltender to the group for the Sharks.
After all, Golden Knights fans know what he's capable of—and what he isn't. That should inspire confidence in the upcoming season, should the two parties meet. Imagine the potential scoring that would ensue if Vegas got a little reunion going on with the Russian netminder. There could be more misplayed pucks involved.
Add us as a preferred source on Google