Akira Schmid might've played only five games with the Vegas Golden Knights this season. In fact, he's only started three games, going 2-0-1 in 2024-25. However, he's had a solid statline in those games.
The Swiss goaltender has a GAA of 1.26 and a save percentage of .944, stopping 85 of 90 shots. Those numbers might be small in a vacuum compared to Ilya Samsonov. However, it carries significance for the upcoming playoff run.
You see, Bruce Cassidy made an interesting choice regarding his backup goaltender for Game 1. Who got to play the role of backup to Adin Hill on Sunday?
Akira Schmid is the backup tonight, not Ilya Samsonov.
— Jesse Granger (@JesseGranger_) April 21, 2025
Fans will look at this and automatically see the best news in the world.
"OH MY GOD! WE'RE FREE OF ILYA SAMSONOV!"
"Finally! It's time to see what Schmid-y can do for the Golden Knights."
"Thank goodness because I was worried about what would happen if Adin Hill got hurt."
Fear not, dear reader. The Golden Knights are riding with the better goaltending option for the Stanley Cup run. Some might look at this and ask how that's the case.
Let's dive into these objections and point out why the Swiss netminder is the better choice. After all, you need stability when a goaltender goes down. Just ask the 2023 Vegas Golden Knights, who won while being deep at the position. Here's why Cassidy should stick with Schmid as the backup if Hill goes down.
Why having Akira Schmid as Adin Hill's backup makes perfect sense
Let's start with Ilya Samsonov. The Russian netminder hasn't had the best season as a backup. He has a GAA of 2.82 and a save percentage of .891 in 2024-25. But his advanced statistics tell a more dire story.
Goaltender | Goals Saved Above Expected | Save Percentage On Unblocked Shots | Save Percentage Above Expected | GAA Better Than Expected | Wins Above Replacement |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Ilya Samsonov | 0.6 | .951 | 0.0004 | 0.02 | 0.10 |
Adin Hill | 14.5 | .958 | 0.0050 | 0.30 | 2.42 |
These stats show a sharp contrast between the starting goaltender and the backup. Granted, Adin Hill has been great for the Golden Knights in 2024-25. However, Samsonov's mediocrity has shown throughout the season. Take November 30 as a perfect example.
The Golden Knights faced the Utah Hockey Club and were lit up for four first-period goals. The Russian netminder allowed six goals in a 6-0 shutout loss, stopping 22 of 28 shots. That performance burned the eyes of numerous Las Vegans that night, where they never recovered.
Why not go in a different direction with Schmid backing up Hill?
The good thing about Akira Schmid is that he has a style similar to Adin Hill's. He's not known to leave the net too much and uses his body to swallow shots. Schmid is also great at tracking pucks, moving with the play to stop incoming shots.
So why not give him a test run during the Stanley Cup playoffs? He's already shown he can handle the workload during the tail end of the regular season. The 24-year-old can handle high shot volumes and would fit in well in Bruce Cassidy's goaltender-friendly system.
Sure, there are some issues with his game. For example, the Swiss goalie must continue growing into his body and use his glove side better. His stats from Henderson might not be a positive beacon of hope (3.58 GAA and a save percentage of .886 in 30 games with the Henderson Silver Knights).
Still, what difference does that make if he's shown himself capable of handling the workload at the NHL level? Even if he peters out to the mean with more starts, he's not a lost cause like Samsonov. By the way, Samsonov has a career postseason GAA of 3.05 and a save percentage of .901. There's some food for thought before we get deep into the Stanley Cup playoffs.