Ilya Samsonov

Snapshots: McDonagh, Samsonov, Tarasenko

November 19, 2022 at 6:00 pm CDT | by John Gilroy 1 Comment

If the season were to end today, the Nashville Predators would, for a second straight season, find themselves in the playoffs as the eighth seed out of the Western Conference. Last season, the team was rewarded for its efforts with a 4-0 sweep in the first round at the hands of the eventual Stanley Cup Champions, the Colorado Avalanche. This season, should they make the playoffs, they’ll now have a new weapon: a veteran shutdown defenseman with Stanley Cup pedigree in that of defenseman Ryan McDonagh, who they acquired this offseason from the Tampa Bay Lightning. Though Nashville has had their struggles thus far, McDonagh has been the steady, reliable presence they’d hoped for, helping to keep them in the hunt early on.

However, as The Athletic’s Joe Smith details, there was a time when McDonagh was nearly on his way to the Columbus Blue Jackets this offseason. According to Smith’s discussions with McDonagh and agent Ben Hankinson, a deal to Columbus was rather close. But, on the morning of July 3rd, things began to change. As Smith writes, Lightning GM Julien BriseBois had set that day as a deadline to find a trade partner for McDonagh, who carried a no-movement clause on his contract. If they could not, Smith added, there was a chance McDonagh could have been placed on waivers. Instead, the story goes, Nashville and GM David Poile jumped into the mix that day and made the push to acquire McDonagh. Ultimately, it was the Predators who checked more boxes than any other interested team, McDonagh said.

After Ilya Samsonov suffered a knee injury in a game against the Boston Bruins two weeks ago, many wondered how the Toronto Maple Leafs would resolve their issues in net, down both of their regular netminders. Toronto managed to bide their time, relying on Erik Kallgren, until Murray’s return this Tuesday, however they will need that pair to stay healthy for now, as Samsonov does not appear close to return. According to TSN’s Mark Masters, who spoke with Maple Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe, Samsonov did not skate Friday. As Keefe says, Samsonov is still healing and not yet at the point to push himself every day and make the push to return. Fortunately for Toronto, the comments don’t appear to point to any setback in Samsonov’s recovery, even if his return is not clear.
NHL.com’s Chris Pinkert reports that St. Louis Blues winger Vladimir Tarasenko will not play tonight due to illness. It doesn’t appear that the illness is in any way COVID related. Skating in his place will be Alexey Toropchenko, who will play alongside Pavel Buchnevich and Robert Thomas. The 23-year-old Toropchenko has just one goal in 11 games this season, but a chance to skate in the Blues’ top-six could reignite the winger.

Snapshots: Three Stars, Soucy, Murray

November 14, 2022 at 1:52 pm CDT | by Gavin Lee Leave a Comment

The NHL released its Three Stars for last week, with Colorado Avalanche forward Mikko Rantanen leading the way. The big winger had three goals and four assists in just two games, continuing an incredible stretch. Rantanen has now recorded 14 points in his last five games and is tied for fourth in the league scoring race (still nine points behind Connor McDavid, who is running away with it). At this pace, Rantanen should record the first 100+ point season of his career if he can stay relatively healthy. He had 92 last season in 75 games.

Second and third went to Linus Ullmark of the Boston Bruins and Adam Fox of the New York Rangers, who each had their own impressive weeks. Ullmark stopped almost everything he saw en route to a 3-0 week with a .956 save percentage, while Fox notched eight points in four games. The 2021 Norris Trophy winner is now just three points behind Erik Karlsson for first among defenseman scoring.

Seattle Kraken defenseman Carson Soucy will have to pay up a little bit for his decision to punch Pierre-Luc Dubois in the back of the head, as the league issued him a $2,500 fine for roughing. It should be noted that this was not the maximum allowable, meaning it didn’t really come close to a suspension in the eyes of the league. Still, it can be taken into account for future supplementary discipline.
The Toronto Maple Leafs may be dealing with injuries to their defense corps, but the goaltenders are getting healthy. Matt Murray is expected to start for the team on Tuesday, while Ilya Samsonov was on the ice with the team this morning. Even Joseph Woll, who has been out for the entire season so far, is expected to join the Toronto Marlies for practice tomorrow according to David Alter of Sports Illustrated. Suddenly, the Maple Leafs may have their entire goaltending group healthy all at once, after being forced to sign Keith Petruzzelli to an NHL deal just to dress a backup recently.

Toronto Maple Leafs Place Ilya Samsonov On IR; Matt Murray’s Return “On The Horizon”

November 6, 2022 at 3:30 pm CDT | by John Gilroy 4 Comments

The Toronto Maple Leafs made a big sacrifice in last night’s win over the Boston Bruins, losing goaltender Ilya Samsonov to a knee injury. The netminder left the game after two periods and had many in the hockey world wondering what could be next for the Maple Leafs. This morning, the organization signed goaltender Keith Petruzzelli to a a two-year, entry-level contract to fill the void in Samsonov’s absence alongside backstop Erik Kallgren until either Samsonov, or Matt Murray, who is currently on LTIR, can return.

Earlier today, Maple Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe met the media to provide updates on the team’s goaltending situation. For one, Keefe told reporters, including Sports Illustrated’s David Alter, that Samsonov is indeed being placed on IR. This move will create the roster spot for Petruzzelli. Per TSN’s Mark Masters, Keefe added that Samsonov will have an MRI on his knee today and is expected to miss more than a week, but the timeline beyond that is unclear.

Now without Murray and Samsonov, Toronto is down to their third and fourth string goaltenders, the fourth string one they didn’t expect to have until earlier today. In the aftermath of Samsonov’s injury, many turned their eyes to the injured Murray. Of course, Murray is still on LTIR, however the initial timeline for his abductor injury was listed as four weeks. That was three weeks ago.

Keefe did not go so far as to give a timeline on Murray, but beyond adding his return is “on the horizon,” Keefe did tell Alter that Murray would join the Maple Leafs for practice as soon as Tuesday. Keefe also mentioned, Masters writes, that he considers Murray to be “ahead of schedule” in regards to his timeline. What exactly that could mean is unclear, but the Maple Leafs will have a busy week nonetheless. After this afternoon’s contest in Carolina, the team returns home for games on Tuesday, Friday, and Saturday, including challenges from the Vegas Golden Knights, Pittsburgh Penguins, and a desperate Vancouver Canucks squad.

In the meantime, the duo of Kallgren and Petruzzelli may not sound all that enticing to Toronto fans, however each brings a solid track record to the table. Petruzzelli was dominant in his four years at Quinnipiac University before turning pro last season. The 23-year-old continued his dominance with the ECHL’s Newfoundland Growlers and spent five games with the Toronto Marlies in the AHL as well. This season, he was off to a strong start with a 2.31 goals-against average and .922 save-percentage in six games with the Marlies. Meanwhile, Kallgren brings with him a bevy of European experience prior to his North American debut last season, where he played 40 games between the Marlies and Maple Leafs.

Evening Notes: Horvat, Senators Sale, Samsonov

November 5, 2022 at 8:53 pm CDT | by John Gilroy 12 Comments

It was not long ago that, with as many question marks as there were around the Vancouver Canucks, the obvious answer was an extension for team captain Bo Horvat. Whether or not players like J.T. Miller or Brock Boeser were or were not traded or if head coach Bruce Boudreau would be brought back for this season, a Horvat extension always seemed to be a given. Now, after extensions for Miller and Boeser, the free agent signing of Ilya Mikheyev, and the Canucks’ rocky start to the season, with no extension in place for the captain, things appear more uncertain than they’ve ever been for Horvat and Vancouver.

On tonight’s 32 Thoughts segment of Hockey Night In Canada, Sportsnet’s Jeff Marek reiterated the story on Horvat: the needle has not moved at all in negotiations. Marek further emphasized the curiosity as to what the organization will ultimately do with Horvat. On one hand, the reunion between both sides appears to be a perfect match and as much as the Canucks have struggled to start the season, Horvat with his 10 goals in 11 games, has not. Still, the more the veteran continues to score, the higher he drives his price. With Miller and Boeser now in place, if the price becomes higher than Vancouver wishes to pay, or simply can pay, the decision might be made for them. And, should Vancouver struggle or fail to make up the ground they lost, Horvat’s trade value may be enough to dissuade them from pursuing an extension in the first place.

Yesterday, the Ottawa Senators formally initiated the process of being sold, just over seven months after the passing of owner Eugene Melnyk. Though that time might seem a bit longer than expected to some, the Melnyk family was able to oversee a team transition this offseason to lock in some of the organization’s young core talent, become one of the league’s more exciting groups, and of course, grieve Melnyk’s passing. Although the timeline to date has been unclear, the sale process might be a bit more clear, and quick. Also from tonight’s 32 Thoughts, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman expects the process to get seriously moving by American Thanksgiving, which is now 19 days away. No clear front runner(s) for the team have emerged yet, though Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch reports that the league would prefer one majority owner over a group of minority shareholders. Even with the Thanksgiving timetable mentioned, when exactly a new owner would be in place with all formalities and transition of power completed, is unclear.
More tough news for the Toronto Maple Leafs in net as goaltender Ilya Samsonov, who started tonight’s game against the Boston Bruins, was forced to leave after the second period. The Maple Leafs confirmed their goaltender would not return while dealing with a knee injury. According to head coach Sheldon Keefe, who discussed the injury with reporters, including Joshua Clipperton of The Canadien Press, was suffered during Brad Marchand’s penalty shot. The extent of the injury or any time he could miss is not yet clear, however Toronto is already working around the loss of Matt Murray in net, who is on LTIR with an abductor injury. Murray was scheduled to miss four weeks with that injury and is currently through three, however a scheduled return is not yet known. Erik Kallgren, who has been acting as the Maple Leafs backup goaltender, is certainly a capable NHL netminder, however the only other goaltender Toronto has under contract is Dennis Hildeby, a 2022 draft pick currently on loan in his native Sweden. Interestingly, the Maple Leafs had been pressed against the 50 contract limit–until today. With forward Nicolas Aube-Kubel lost on waivers to the Washington Capitals this afternoon, Toronto now has just 49 of 50 contracts in their system, enough to add one more player. Should they need to do so, they’ll have to act quick and be creative, with puck drop in Carolina scheduled for 5:00 pm ET tomorrow afternoon.

East Notes: Samsonov, Dubas, Fedotov

September 21, 2022 at 6:57 pm CDT | by Brian La Rose 1 Comment

When the Maple Leafs signed goaltender Ilya Samsonov to a one-year deal in free agency, both the team, the term, and the money raised some eyebrows. However, GM Kyle Dubas told Postmedia’s Steve Simmons that the 25-year-old insisted on signing a one-year deal, likely with the hopes of rebuilding his value. Samsonov was non-tendered by Washington earlier this offseason instead of offering him $2MM with arbitration rights on the heels of a season that saw him post a 3.02 GAA and a .896 SV% in 43 games. Getting less than that in free agency was a bit of a surprise given the market for backup goaltenders but clearly, he feels Toronto was the right fit to have a bounce-back year. He will once again be eligible for restricted free agency next summer.

Elsewhere around the East:

Still with Toronto, GM Kyle Dubas told reporters including Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic (Twitter link) that he was informed that no offer of a contract extension would be coming his way at this time. Dubas is entering the final year of his deal, his fifth at the helm of the Maple Leafs and at first glance, it seems fair to wonder if how they perform in the playoffs will go a long way to determining if he’ll be around for a sixth season.
Flyers goalie Ivan Fedotov has dropped his appeal on charges of evading his Russian military obligations, notes team reporter Bill Meltzer (Twitter link). The decision means that the 25-year-old will not be permitted to join Philadelphia this season. The team will have the ability to toll the contract, meaning that they can roll over the one-year, $925K agreement to the 2023-24 season.

Toronto Maple Leafs Sign Ilya Samsonov

July 13, 2022 at 10:28 am CDT | by Gavin Lee 8 Comments

11:00 AM Per Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff, the Maple Leafs have signed Samsonov to a one-year deal worth $1.8MM. Toronto has now confirmed a Murray-Samsonov tandem for 2022-23.

10:28 AMThe Toronto Maple Leafs may have found their second goaltender, as Arthur Staple of The Athletic links them to Ilya Samsonov. The former Washington Capitals netminder was not given a qualifying offer as a restricted free agent this summer, putting him on the open market.

Samsonov, 25, hasn’t lived up to his first-round draft position just yet but carries the kind of massive upside that a team like the Maple Leafs have to swing for at this point in free agency. They already acquired Matt Murray from the Ottawa Senators, hoping they could bring out the level that helped him to two Stanley Cup championships in Pittsburgh, and now they’ll bring in another inconsistent netminder hoping to unlock hidden talent.

Selected 22nd overall in 2015, Samsonov had a strong rookie season for Washington in 2019-20 but has been putting up worse and worse numbers ever since. This year he had an .896 save percentage in 44 appearances, obviously not good enough for the Capitals to retain him as their starter moving forward.

Still, he had an okay performance in the postseason, and that’s what the Maple Leafs are focused on. The team simply has to find a way through the first round and with a Murray-Samsonov tandem there is at least the potential for excellent goaltending.

It is a risk though, and likely an expensive one. There is a real chance that both netminders fail to find another level and give the Maple Leafs sub-.900 goaltending all year long.

Capitals Notes: Backstrom, Goaltending, Draft

July 6, 2022 at 11:58 am CDT | by Gavin Lee 7 Comments

When the Washington Capitals announced that Nicklas Backstrom had hip surgery, speculation erupted that the 34-year-old forward could potentially be on his way to semi-retirement, sitting out the last few years of his contract and heading to long-term injured reserve. Not so fast, says general manager Brian MacLellan:

I think everybody is happy–the trainers, the doctors–with the surgery and the results of the surgery. It is Nick’s intention to come back and play at some point this year.

While the timeline for that return is still unclear, MacLellan made a point to explain that the team won’t be looking to use his cap space as if it were staying on LTIR the whole year. Instead, they will look to their young players to step up in his absence and carry the ship until he returns.

Backstrom has a $9.2MM cap hit through the 2024-25 season and will turn 35 in November. If he was ruled out for the year, moving his contract to LTIR would provide a ton of flexibility for the team in free agency, allowing them to go after not only his replacement but potentially a veteran goaltender as well. MacLellan confirmed that the team will issue qualifying offers to both Vitek Vanecek and Ilya Samsonov but that the position is not settled. In Pierre LeBrun’s latest for The Athletic, he even writes that he wouldn’t be surprised if they have checked in on Jack Campbell.
There have been talks about nearly every draft pick in the first round it seems, and Washington’s No. 20 is no different. MacLellan explained that the idea of moving it has been discussed but that they are more likely to just hold onto that spot and make a selection. The Capitals didn’t have a first-round pick a year ago but have actually done a pretty good job of keeping their top selections over the years, despite being in a perpetual state of contending for the Stanley Cup.

Capitals Notes: Goaltending, Wilson, Laviolette

May 15, 2022 at 1:33 pm CDT | by Ethan Hetu Leave a Comment

Today was exit day for the Washington Capitals, and as part of that, Capitals GM Brian MacLellan spoke with the media. The biggest revelation coming from his media appearance regards the team’s goaltending situation, as he shed some light on how the team views their current tandem of goaltenders and what strategy they will take towards the position in the offseason. MacLellan said, as relayed by Samantha Pell of The Washington Post, that the team’s “top priority” regarding their goaltending is to acquire a veteran netminder. MacLellan also added that it’s “possible” that both of the team’s current goalies, Ilya Samsonov and Vitek Vanecek, (who are each eligible to become restricted free agents with arbitration rights) return next season, but that the priority is to add a veteran to the team.

Both Samsonov and Vanecek, who are 25 and 26 years old, respectively, had seasons to forget. For Vanecek, his regular season was solid (42 games played at a .908 save percentage) but he unraveled in the playoffs, not even making it to the end of game two before being pulled for Samsonov. Samsonov, on the flip side, had a poor regular season, posting only an .896 save percentage in 44 games. Although he did better in the playoffs (.912 in five games) he still failed to make the saves required for the Capitals to defeat the Florida Panthers. By virtue of both goalies needing a new contract, this offseason the Capitals are afforded the financial flexibility to choose a new direction in net. The Capitals intend on remaining competitive during the remaining years of Alex Ovechkin’s career, and MacLellan’s statements make it clear that the organization deems a veteran goaltender necessary to give their captain a chance at winning a second Stanley Cup. If their prior courtship of Marc-Andre Fleury is any indication, it seems MacLellan and the Capitals will be going fishing for a major addition to their crease this offseason.

Now, for some other notes regarding the Capitals:

Tom Wilson, one of the Capitals’ most important forwards, did not play very much in their short playoff run. He scored a goal but suffered a knee injury that MacLellan today said would have cost him the entirety of the Capitals’ playoff run, should they have made it into the next few rounds. Per Tom Gulitti of NHL.com, the team will make a decision in the next few days on whether Wilson needs surgery. Even with a potential surgery in mind, MacLellan did express optimism that Wilson would be ready to play by the start of next season. The Capitals rely on Wilson’s goal-scoring and physicality to win games, so if they want to hit the ground running for next season’s campaign getting Wilson back to full health will be a major priority for the team.
This season marks coach Peter Laviolette’s second behind the bench in Washington, and his combined 80-41-17 record over those two seasons is reflective of how well he has done in getting the most out of the Capitals’ players. But despite that regular-season success, the Capitals have bowed out in the first round in both years of his tenure, and as a result, with Laviolette set to enter the final season of his contract, MacLellan was asked about Laviolette’s future in Washington. Per Gulitti, MacLellan made the point that he wanted to keep conversations regarding Laviolette’s contract situation private, but was complimentary about his coach’s work during this regular season and playoffs. While some more frustrated Capitals fans may want to see a change behind the bench after two straight early playoff exits, it seems that the organization has full faith in Laviolette being the right coach to bring the Capitals their second Stanley Cup.

Metropolitan Notes: Texier, Flyers, Capitals

February 26, 2022 at 12:52 pm CDT | by Brian La Rose Leave a Comment

While Blue Jackets forward Alexandre Texier was originally expected to miss four weeks with a finger injury (a time period that has come and gone), Brian Hedger of the Columbus Dispatch reports (Twitter link) that the 22-year-old is still a few weeks away from returning. Texier is having the best season of his career so far with 11 goals and nine assists in 36 games but this injury will have taken away that momentum.

Texier has found his name in recent trade speculation with teams calling about him but the injury won’t help things on that front either. On that front, Hedger adds in a follow-up tweet that the team has no interest in moving him. He has long been viewed as a future building block for the Blue Jackets and since he has shown some promising signs in his development this season, it’s understandable that they’d want to keep him around.

Trade Deadline Primer: Washington Capitals

February 20, 2022 at 8:57 pm CDT | by Zach Leach 6 Comments

With the All-Star break now behind us, the trade deadline looms large and is just over a month away. Where does each team stand and what moves should they be looking to make? We continue our look around the league with the Washington Capitals.

The Washington Capitals find themselves in a sticky situation with the trade deadline approaching. On one hand, like all other teams currently in a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference, the Capitals may as well have already clinched a postseason berth. The other eight clubs in the East are so far out of the playoff picture that Washington is not worried about “if” they make the playoffs. On the other hand, the Caps are also not looking like a top contender this season. For much of the past few months, they have just been jockeying for wild card position with the Boston Bruins, who currently sit five points behind but with three games in hand. In the Metropolitan race, Washington is soundly in fourth, trailing the Pittsburgh Penguins by five points themselves. With limited cap space favoring a quiet approach but an aging core with waning chances pushing to load up for another run, the Capitals are left with difficult choices on how to navigate this year’s deadline.

Record

28-15-9 (.625), fourth in Metropolitan Division

Deadline Status

Buyer

Deadline Cap Room

No base cap room, $1.913MM in deadline cap space with LTIR, 0/3 retention slots used, 45/50 contracts used per CapFriendly.

Upcoming Draft Picks

2022: WAS 1st, WPG 2nd, WAS 3rd, WAS 4th, WAS 5th, WAS 6th, WAS 7th
2023: WAS 1st, WAS 2nd, WAS 3rd, WAS 4th, WAS 5th, WAS 6th, WAS 7th

Trade Chips

Just how big of a swing will the Capitals take? That will go a long way to determining which of their trade chips are actually available. With a full complement of draft picks in each of the next two years, it is safe to assume that one or more of those will be dealt away. However, Washington would like to retain their first-round picks if possible. Acquiring depth options rather than top targets will help in that pursuit, but won’t help the Capitals to transform into a legitimate contender this season.

Major buyer or just value shopper, it safe to assume that top prospect Connor McMichael is off the table barring an unforeseen blockbuster, which will be hard to do with limited cap space. Though McMichael has been inconsistent this season and hasn’t often been afford top-six opportunity, he projects as a scoring forward and is a critical piece of the future for an aging Washington team with a lacking pipeline.

Can the same be said for Hendrix Lapierre? After making the Capitals out of training camp, Lapierre was returned to his junior team and has had an underwhelming season. However, he is still a promising prospect with a bright future. If Washington makes a big move, perhaps Lapierre could be the centerpiece, but otherwise he should also be off limits.

So which young pieces could be available? Though they have played meaningful NHL roles at time this season, that could only serve to boost the trade value of forwards Alexei Protas and Brett Leason. Both appear ready for full-time roles, especially for rebuilding teams, and their size makes them menacing physical threats on top of scoring prowess. Yet, their ceiling could be limited for both, making them potential trade victims if the Capitals decide to mortage the future this season.

Among other young pieces, AHL defensemen Alexander Alexeyev and Lucas Johansen have struggled to find their way on to the NHL roster and could be looking for a fresh start while sellers look for untapped potential. Even more youthful defensemen Vincent Iorio and Brent Johnson are also intriguing pieces, but the Capitals may not be eager to move on so soon.

Of course, with the Capitals linked to some goaltenders on the trade block and two young netminders on the roster, neither of whom would clear waivers, Washington may have no choice but to give up one of Ilya Samsonov or Vitek Vanecek in order to make that move. Both are impending restricted free agents and a case could be made to keep one over the other. Samsonov is younger yet also more experienced, but hasn’t played his best this season. Vanecek has been the better goaltender and may be more affordable to re-sign, but at 26 years old this next contract will be his last before unrestricted free agency. The Capitals may ultimately have to let the sellers choose which they prefer.

Other Potential Trade Chips: F Daniel Sprong, F Joe Snively, D Tobias Geisser, G Mitchell Gibson

Team Needs

1) Goaltending: The situation in the Washington net is fascinating. Multiple sources have reported that the Capitals are interested in adding a veteran goaltender before the deadline, with Marc-Andre Fleury among the names specifically mentioned. Yet, the team is actually seventh in the league in goals against per game making them statistically one of the best situated teams in net, even if they aren’t perfect. Admittedly, Samsonov, who leads the team in appearances, is having a down year with a .906 save percentage and 2.84 GAA, however it isn’t actually having a huge impact on the team and the amount of skepticism he has faced doesn’t seem entirely warranted. Despite some criticism of his own, Vanecek is quietly having a strong season, holding a .915 save percentage and 2.39 GAA. With that being said, he too has been inconsistent. Vanecek is currently sidelined with an upper body injury though, which may only amp up Washington’s alleged pursuit of another goalie. If the team doesn’t decide to swing for the fences for a new starter, they could instead look for an experienced third-string option that has cleared waivers and can be sent to the minors.

2) Top-Six Forward: On paper, an impact forward should actually be an even greater priority than a goaltender. While the Capitals are ranked 11th in scoring, two of their top five scorers are defensemen and there is a major drop-off from Alex Ovechkin and Evgeny Kuznetsov and their 110 combined points and the rest of the forward corps. Making the situation even more pressing are the current injuries to Anthony Mantha and T.J. Oshie. The team could use scoring depth even if those two are healthy by the time the postseason kicks off, but if one or both are missing then an established top-six scorer would be a vital addition.

3) Depth Defenseman: The Capitals have run with a consistent and solid six-man defense group this season, though there is room for improvement. However, adding to the blue line is not the top priority and simply adding depth may be the way to go. Michal Kempny looks like a shell of his former self and Matt Irwin is not a dependable option, so beyond that top six there is a need for security. With Kempny, Irwin, and Justin Schultz on expiring contracts, Washington could be in position to add a defender with term if the opportunity arises. However, they may hold off and make a bigger move in the offseason.

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