Free Agent Goalie Ilya Samsonov Finds New Home For 2025-26

Ilya Samsonov, goaltender, waves to Vegas crowd after being named 1st star

A free agent after six seasons in the National Hockey League, 28-year-old goaltender Ilya Samsonov did not receive any firm offers this offseason from an NHL club, so he has decided to head back to a familiar place to continue his career, signing with Sochi of the Kontinental Hockey League.

After seven seasons in North America, 28-year-old Ilya Samsonov returns to the KHL! pic.twitter.com/wGtT7I4KNp
— KHL (@khl_eng) November 1, 2025

Samsonov began his career in North America with a season in the AHL, with the Hershey Bears, after being the Washington Capitals' first-round pick (18th overall) in the 2015 NHL Draft. He then played three seasons for the Caps.

From there, it was on to the Toronto Maple Leafs, where the Russian netminder spent two seasons in a starting role. He last played in the NHL with the Vegas Golden Knights last season, going 16-9-4 in 29 starts as their backup, along with an .891 save percentage and a 2.82 goals against average.

Sochi acquired Samsonov’s KHL signing rights from Metallurg Magnitogorsk, where the Magnitogorsk native played four seasons before coming to North America. He regularly posted save percentages better than .925 during those four years for his hometown team, and helped backstop the team to a KHL title in 2016 as a 19-year-old.