The Washington Capitals have re-signed goaltender Ilya Samsonov to a one-year, $2 million contract, the team announced Monday.
The deal gives the 24-year-old restricted free agent, who had arbitration rights, the chance to bounce back from a difficult 2020-21 season when he twice spent time in the NHL’s COVID-19 protocols, split starts with Vitek Vanecek and saw his numbers drop from his impressive rookie campaign to a 2.69 goals-against average and a .902 save percentage.
In his freshman season, the six-foot-three, 200-pound goalie seemed to be the heir apparent to Braden Holtby, posting a 16-6-2, winning 11 straight games for the second-longest win streak by a rookie in NHL history, along with a 2.55 GAA and a .913 SV%.
Vanecek, meanwhile, was re-acquired by the Capitals after he was selected in the Seattle Kraken’s expansion draft this off-season. The 25-year-old put up a 21-10-4 record with a .908 SV% and 2.69 GAA, stepping up with Samsonov and Henrik Lundqvist, who underwent open-heart surgery in January, sidelined.