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Ilya Samsonov

Snapshots: Three Stars, Fiala, Brooks

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The NHL has released their Three Stars for last week, headlined by Calgary Flames forward Johnny Gaudreau who takes home the top spot. Gaudreau put up four goals and seven points in four games last week, including two game-winning tallies. After a strong bounce-back campaign in 2020-21, the diminutive forward has upped his game once again and now has 22 points in 19 contests this season.

Second and third go to Ilya Samsonov and Cale Makar respectively, with each young player putting up a pair of outstanding performances. Samsonov didn’t allow a single goal in his two starts for the Washington Capitals, posting a pair of shutouts and raising his save percentage to .924 on the season. Makar meanwhile had five points in two games for the Colorado Avalanche, something that has become relatively routine for the young defenseman. Through 113 career games, Makar now has 107 points.

  • When Kevin Fiala and the Minnesota Wild settled on a one-year contract just a day ahead of his arbitration hearing this offseason, it raised some questions about his long-term future with the team. Other key forwards like Kirill Kaprizov and Joel Eriksson Ek were being locked up well into the future, while the 25-year-old Fiala was now scheduled to be a free agent once again in 2022 after this $5.1MM contract expired. That’s when the Wild have some huge buyout penalties hitting the cap, making it challenging to go through the uncertainty of an arbitration process again with a player like Fiala. Yesterday, Michael Russo of The Athletic wrote about Fiala’s future with the team, suggesting it is “hard to see Fiala being long for this organization.” Today, Jeff Marek and Elliotte Friedman discuss it on Sportsnet’s 32 Thoughts podcast, and note that though there is some smoke, Wild GM Bill Guerin has never been one into a decision.
  • It’s been several days since Adam Brooks was claimed off waivers by the Vegas Golden Knights, but he had not yet made his debut for the club due to some immigration issues that needed to be resolved. Resolved they’ve now been, and Brooks will be in the lineup for the Golden Knights this evening, head coach Pete DeBoer told reporters including David Schoen of the Las Vegas Review-Journal. Max Pacioretty, who is nearing a return, is on the trip but not yet quite ready to play tonight.

Washington Capitals Sign Ilya Samsonov

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The Washington Capitals have decided to go with a one-year deal for young goaltender Ilya Samsonov, signing him to a $2MM contract for 2021-22. The young goaltender had decided not to file for arbitration earlier this offseason, despite being eligible.

Samsonov, 24, has just 45 regular season games under his belt at the NHL level and is coming off a campaign that saw several interruptions. He ended up on the COVID list twice and was even benched along with teammate Evgeny Kuznetsov for disciplinary reasons. In 19 games, he posted a .902 save percentage, far from what was expected from him after his strong rookie season.

There’s still plenty of reason to believe in Samsonov’s upside, but the fact that Vitek Vanecek is back after an odd select-and-trade situation played out with the Seattle Kraken means that he may not be in line for the starting role. In fact, Vanecek outplayed Samsonov for most of this season, posting a .908 save percentage in 37 appearances. He was also the game 1 starter for the Capitals when the playoffs began, despite Samsonov technically coming off the COVID list in time.

After a Vanecek injury in game one and a heroic effort from veteran Craig Anderson in game two, Samsonov would take the net and lose three straight against the Boston Bruins to see the Capitals eliminated. There’s no doubt he has the talent to compete at the NHL level, but a short-term deal seemed prudent in this case to give him a chance to prove he can be a valuable (and reliable) piece for the Capitals.

There’s also the fact that Washington is operating on a tight budget, given how close they were to the cap before this signing. Buying out any additional years likely would have forced the cap hit higher, something they couldn’t really accommodate right now without making a different move. For $2MM, he can combine with Vanecek once again as one of the cheapest tandems in the league. He’ll also still be a restricted free agent at the deal’s expiry.

Metropolitan Notes: Zibanejad, Mrazek, Samsonov, Carlson

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The Rangers have started preliminary discussions on an extension with center Mika Zibanejad, reports Larry Brooks of the New York Post.  2020-21 was a down season for the 28-year-old as he was slowed early on by a bout with COVID-19 although he managed to still post 24 goals and 26 assists in 50 games.  Brooks notes that the expectation is that Zibanejad’s camp will be seeking a new deal in the $10MM per year range, an AAV that only six centers around the league have hit.  Zibanejad has one more year left on his existing contract with a $5.35MM cap hit and will need to have a year similar to 2019-20 when he had 41 goals and 34 assists in 57 games if he wants a shot at becoming the seventh center to have a double-digit AAV.

More from the Metropolitan:

  • Hurricanes goaltender Petr Mrazek is expected to test the free agent market on Wednesday over signing a new deal with Carolina before then, relays Pierre LeBrun in his latest column for The Athletic (subscription link). He entered 2020-21 as their expected starter but injuries limited him to just a dozen starts.  With Alex Nedeljkovic being moved to Detroit, the Hurricanes now have three pending UFAs between the pipes although GM Don Waddell expressed optimism that they can get one of them signed.  At this point, it doesn’t seem as if Mrazek will be the one to put pen to paper on a new deal.
  • Capitals goaltender Ilya Samsonov is expected to sign a short-term bridge contract, GM Brian MacLellan told Samantha Pell of the Washington Post. The 24-year-old has shown some promising flashes but was inconsistent this past season, notching just a .902 SV% in 19 appearances.  Now locked in as their starter going forward, a strong couple of years on a short-term agreement could have Samsonov well-positioned for a much bigger contract in his next time through restricted free agency when he’ll have salary arbitration rights.
  • Also from Pell’s column, Capitals defenseman John Carlson has undergone minor knee surgery but is expected to be fully recovered for the start of training camp. The veteran played through the issue in the playoffs but still logged nearly 26 minutes a game in their opening-round loss to Boston.

East Notes: Capitals Cap Overage, Jankowski, Lycksell

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Washington will be facing a bonus overage penalty of nearly $473K for next season, Mike Vogel of the Capitals’ team site relays (Twitter link).  Defenseman Zdeno Chara reached his games played and playoff qualification bonuses while goaltender Ilya Samsonov met his shutout bonus mark as well.  With the team being in LTIR all season long due to injuries to blueliner Michal Kempny and goaltender Henrik Lundqvist, they were never in a position to bank any space during the season that could have offset those bonuses.  The Caps already have over $72MM in commitments for next season per CapFriendly and still have to re-sign captain Alex Ovechkin, Samsonov, and round out the rest of their roster.  GM Brian MacLellan will undoubtedly be working hard in the coming weeks to free up some much-needed cap flexibility.

More from the East Division:

  • The Penguins are unlikely to tender center Mark Jankowski a qualifying offer next month, suggests Seth Rorabaugh of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. The 26-year-old signed a minimum-salary contract after being non-tendered by Calgary back in the fall in a move that looked like a good one for both sides at the time.  However, he was largely ineffective during the season and was a healthy scratch down the stretch and for their entire first-round series.  Jankowski is only owed a qualifying offer of $750K – next season’s league minimum – but with arbitration eligibility, he could get a bit more than that in a hearing.  With their cap situation, that little bit more is probably more than they can afford for a player on the fringes of the roster.
  • Flyers prospect Olle Lycksell signed his entry-level contract last month but the team will have to wait a little while longer to get him to North America as Vaxjo of the SHL announced that they’ve added the 21-year-old forward on loan for the entire 2021-22 season. Despite not playing in Philadelphia’s system next season, Lycksell will still burn the first year of his contract.

Russia Adds Three To World Championships Roster

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The early playoff exits for the Capitals and Blues is Russia’s gain.  The IIHF announced today that Russia has added winger Vladimir Tarasenko from St. Louis plus defenseman Dmitry Orlov and goalie Ilya Samsonov from Washington.  Meanwhile, Alex Ovechkin declined an invitation due to injury; he missed seven of the last eight games in the regular season due to a lower-body issue which he likely still hasn’t fully recovered from.

It was a tough year for Tarasenko who missed the first half of the season with a shoulder injury and then wasn’t particularly productive upon his return, notching just four goals in 24 games.  He managed to pick up a pair of postseason tallies, both coming in yesterday’s 5-2 loss to Colorado.  Nevertheless, he should be able to step in and be a go-to scoring threat as the tournament progresses.

As for Washington’s duo, Samsonov’s sophomore season wasn’t as strong as his first year.  He had two separate stints on the COVID Protocol Related Absences List including one that made him unavailable for the first two playoff games and managed just a .902 SV% in 19 regular season appearances.  Russia kept a goalie spot open presumably in case Washington was eliminated, a decision that looks wise now.  Orlov, meanwhile, picked up 22 points in 51 games for the Capitals this season while chipping in with three helpers in the playoffs while seeing his playing time increase to just over 23 minutes a night.  He’ll be expected to log similar minutes for Russia.

As TSN’s Gord Miller points out (Twitter link), several countries left spots open for potential late additions.  Those are the following:

Canada: Five skaters
Denmark: One goaltender, five skaters
Germany: Five skaters
Russia: One skater
Switzerland: Three skaters
United States: Two skaters

Depending on what other teams get eliminated in the next few days in the playoffs, there could be some reinforcements coming for the above countries.  However, they won’t be allowed to play right away and will be required to serve a six-day quarantine upon arriving in Latvia, just like Russia’s new trio of players will soon be doing.

Washington Capitals Could Be Forced To Start Craig Anderson For Game 2

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Craig Anderson wasn’t expecting to get into the Washington Capitals’ Game 1 matchup with the Boston Bruins Saturday, but he did and the 39-year-old netminder proceeded to pick up the victory, leading Washington to a 3-2 overtime victory. By doing that, Anderson became the oldest goaltender in team history to win a playoff game, making 21 out of 22 saves. Anderson is likely to get the start for Game 2 against the Bruins on Monday according to the Washington Post’s Samantha Pell.

Anderson, who turns 40 on Friday, had to take over in the first period for starter Vitek Vanecek, who suffered a lower-body injury. He was already filling in for Ilya Samsonov, who was on the COVID-19 protocol list and wasn’t available to play either. Enter Anderson, who was forced to take over with No. 4 netminder Pheonix Copley standing in as the replacement goalie.

Vanecek is listed as day-to-day, according to head coach Peter Laviolette, but he could not confirm whether it will be a short day-to-day or a longer stint. Samsonov came off the COVID-19 protocol list Saturday, but there is no word on whether he might be available for Game 2. He skated Sunday for the first time in two weeks.

Regardless, the team could be putting quite a bit of pressure on Anderson, who spent most of the season on the taxi squad. He only appeared in four regular season games, posting a 2-1 record, with a 2.13 and a .915 save percentage.

COVID Protocol Related Absences: 05/15/21

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Each day, the NHL will publicly release the list of players that are unavailable to their respective teams due to being in COVID-19 Protocol. While the league is waiting on a report from the Florida Panthers, here is today’s list for all remaining active teams:

Florida – TBA
St. Louis – Jake Walman, Nathan Walker, David Perron*
Washington – Evgeny Kuznetsov

As a reminder, inclusion on this list does not mean that a player has tested positive for Coronavirus or even that they have been confirmed as a close contact to another positive person. Included in the NHL’s list of possible reasons for someone being on the list is are the following:

(1) an initial positive test which remains unconfirmed until confirmatory testing is completed pursuant to the Positive Test Protocol; (2) mandated isolation for symptomatic individuals pursuant to the Positive Test Protocol; (3) required quarantine as a high-risk close contact in accordance with the Positive Test Protocol; (4) isolation based on a confirmed positive test result and/or; (5) quarantine for travel or other reasons as outlined in the COVID-19 Protocol

Players removed today: Ilya Samsonov, Washington Capitals

While Washington will be happy to see that Samsonov was one-and-done on his second stint on the CPRA list, the goaltender was still absent from morning skate earlier and he is not expected to play in Game One against the Boston Bruins tonight. Nevertheless, having Samsonov available for the remainder of the series is certainly a plus for Capitals. Their young goaltending tandem is the team’s biggest question mark heading into the postseason, but having both healthy improves the situation. Whether the Capitals will get Kuznetsov back during their first-round series remains uncertain.

In St. Louis, this is certainly not the news that the team hoped for on the eve of their postseason run. While the Blues would have liked to have Walman and Walker available as depth options if need be, their losses are not much of a factor to the team’s success. Perron’s addition to the COVID Protocol is another matter entirely. The veteran led the Blues in scoring this season with 58 points in 56 games and is a difference-maker on the ice and in the locker room. If he misses any time, it makes the daunting task of upsetting the Colorado Avalanche that much harder. The team and the league alike hate to see a player of his caliber sidelined at this time of the year.

COVID Protocol Related Absences: 05/14/21

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Each day, the NHL will publicly release the list of players that are unavailable to their respective teams due to being in COVID-19 Protocol. Here is today’s list:

St. Louis – Jake Walman, Nathan Walker*
Washington – Evgeny Kuznetsov, Ilya Samsonov*

As a reminder, inclusion on this list does not mean that a player has tested positive for Coronavirus or even that they have been confirmed as a close contact to another positive person. Included in the NHL’s list of possible reasons for someone being on the list is are the following:

(1) an initial positive test which remains unconfirmed until confirmatory testing is completed pursuant to the Positive Test Protocol; (2) mandated isolation for symptomatic individuals pursuant to the Positive Test Protocol; (3) required quarantine as a high-risk close contact in accordance with the Positive Test Protocol; (4) isolation based on a confirmed positive test result and/or; (5) quarantine for travel or other reasons as outlined in the COVID-19 Protocol

Players removed today: Devan Dubnyk, Colorado Avalanche

Kuznetsov has been officially joined by Samsonov on the list, though the goaltender has been in the COVID protocol all along. Since he was on the taxi squad during the regular season, the team was not required to include him. The fact that they remain ineligible means they will not have any real practice time before the Capitals open their first-round playoff series tomorrow. Even if they were to be cleared tomorrow, it is looking very unlikely that either will be dressed for game one.

Walker joins Walman as well, though neither have quite the same impact as the Washington players. The fact that Colorado’s backup goaltender is out though is a helpful step for the Avalanche, especially since the team has two more days before opening their series on Monday.

*denotes new addition

COVID Protocol Related Absences: 05/13/21

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Each day, the NHL will publicly release the list of players that are unavailable to their respective teams due to being in COVID-19 Protocol. Here is today’s list:

Colorado – Devan Dubnyk
St. Louis – Jake Walman
Washington – Evgeny Kuznetsov

As a reminder, inclusion on this list does not mean that a player has tested positive for Coronavirus or even that they have been confirmed as a close contact to another positive person. Included in the NHL’s list of possible reasons for someone being on the list is are the following:

(1) an initial positive test which remains unconfirmed until confirmatory testing is completed pursuant to the Positive Test Protocol; (2) mandated isolation for symptomatic individuals pursuant to the Positive Test Protocol; (3) required quarantine as a high-risk close contact in accordance with the Positive Test Protocol; (4) isolation based on a confirmed positive test result and/or; (5) quarantine for travel or other reasons as outlined in the COVID-19 Protocol

Players removed today: None

Kuznetsov and his teammate Ilya Samsonov remain in the protocol, meaning they will have at most one day of practice before their first-round series against the Bruins opens on Saturday. The 28-year-old center is a big part of the team but hasn’t played since May 1, first for disciplinary reasons and then after showing up on the COVID protocol. It’s unclear when Kuznetsov will be inserted into the Capitals lineup, or even when he will be allowed to practice with the team.

*denotes new addition

COVID Protocol Related Absences: 05/08/21

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Each day, the NHL will publicly release the list of players that are unavailable to their respective teams due to being in COVID-19 Protocol. Here is today’s list:

Calgary – TBA
Colorado – Devan Dubnyk
Edmonton – TBA
Washington – Evgeny Kuznetsov
Winnipeg – TBA

As a reminder, inclusion on this list does not mean that a player has tested positive for Coronavirus or even that they have been confirmed as a close contact to another positive person. Included in the NHL’s list of possible reasons for someone being on the list is are the following:

(1) an initial positive test which remains unconfirmed until confirmatory testing is completed pursuant to the Positive Test Protocol; (2) mandated isolation for symptomatic individuals pursuant to the Positive Test Protocol; (3) required quarantine as a high-risk close contact in accordance with the Positive Test Protocol; (4) isolation based on a confirmed positive test result and/or; (5) quarantine for travel or other reasons as outlined in the COVID-19 Protocol

Players removed today: None

Kuznetsov remains in the protocol for the Capitals, meaning he won’t be available tonight against the Flyers in the team’s 55th game. The team will use Craig Anderson in the net as Ilya Samsonov also remains out. The netminder doesn’t need to be listed here because he is technically on the taxi squad, but the capitals confirmed yesterday he was also in the protocol.

*denotes new addition

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