If you think this post will be about Adin Hill being unreliable, I've got some bad news for you, dear reader. He has a GAA of 2.59 and a save percentage of .903 this season. Sure, those numbers don't stand out much, especially when compared to his old teammate, Logan Thompson (2.28 GAA, .919 save percentage). However, he's been a stable force for the Vegas Golden Knights.
In fact, February has been kind to the 4 Nations Face-Off goaltender. He has a GAA of 2.02 and a save percentage of .922. That includes a stellar performance on Saturday against the Vancouver Canucks, where he stopped 33 of 34 shots. Sure, it might only be three games. But you want your starting goaltender to be reliable regardless of the circumstances.
Thus, he's not the main concern in net. Instead, it's his backup, Ilya Samsonov. The Russian goaltender has allowed 10 goals in his last two games, including four goals in the third period against the Los Angeles Kings on Monday. He followed that up with five goals against the Chicago Blackhawks on Thursday.
One can imagine how many pints Bruce Cassidy had to down after seeing his netminder let a lowly Central Division team back in the game. He has a GAA of 3.79 and a save percentage of .810 in February alone. That in itself should cause fans to worry about how well he does should Hill go down with an injury.
The real Ilya Samsonov has stood up
This shouldn't come as a surprise to Golden Knights fans. In the past three seasons, he has posted a GAA worse than 3.00 and a save percentage below .900, but these statistics tell a broader story about Samsonov's viability as a netminder (minimum of 20 games). For this, we'll look at two viable replacements and where they rank this season.
Stat and rank | Goals saved above expected | Save percentage on unblocked shots | Save percentage above expected | GAA better than expected | Wins above replacement |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Ilya Samsonov | -2.5 (39th) | .950 (36th) | (-.002, tied for 36th) | -0.10 (38th) | -0.41 (38th) |
John Gibson | 15.5 (sixth) | .959 (ninth) | .011 (tied for second) | 0.71 (third) | 2.59 (sixth) |
Karel Vejmelka | 14.9 (eighth) | .957 (11th) | .007 (tied for eighth) | 0.41 (11th) | 2.49 (eighth) |
Both John Gibson and Karel Vejmelka have been mentioned as potential acquisitions for the Golden Knights and with good reason. They've been stable forces in the net for their respective teams this season. They would also form an incredible pair with Hill in net, flourishing in Bruce Cassidy's airtight system.
Yes, these would come at the cost of prospects. Considering the cupboard is exceptionally bare except for some bright spots (i.e., Carl Lindbom of the Henderson Silver Knights), McCrimmon might not make a big move here. But hey, one can dream, right?
The good news is he's out after this season
The good thing about signing players to one-year "prove it" deals is it gives them incentive to show their capabilities. Names like Brandon Saad (two goals and one assist in seven games) and Victor Olofsson (11 goals and 11 assists) have shown they deserve to stick around a little longer.
But for Samsonov? His one-year, $1.8 million deal is done after this season. That means no more four-goal third periods. That also means looking at Adin Hill from a different light. Yes, he's not going to win a Vezina Trophy any time soon. However, he's won games for the team (see December 3 against the Edmonton Oilers).
So we can do a couple of things. One, make a move to get the Russian goaltender out of Las Vegas. Fans would love to see Kelly McCrimmon give him the boot for Gibson or Vejmelka. Two, they could wait it out and hope he turns it around. If a move's not made for a sidekick to the 28-year-old and Samsonov remains his average self, Marc-Andre Fleury save us all.