San Jose Sharks Sign Ilya Samsonov to 1-Year Contract

The San Jose Sharks have added some goaltending depth, just days away from training camps opening, as the team announced on Tuesday, they've signed veteran netminder Ilya Samsonov to a one-year contract.

The deal is a two-way contract, which opens up the possibility of Samsonov heading to the American Hockey League once training camp wraps up. The financials involved have yet to be announced, but Samsonov joins a Sharks' crease that already features Alex Nedeljkovic and fellow Russian, Yaroslav Askarov. There's also been some rumblings about the Sharks having trade interest in Connor Hellebuyck, so it will be interesting to see who's in net for their season opener in a few weeks.

Samsonov returns to North American pro hockey after spending the 2025-26 season in the KHL, playing for the HK Sochi. He posted a 3-8-0 record in 14 games, along with a 3.27 goals against average and .903 save percentage. His team finished in dead last so perhaps it had more to do with the talent in front of him, than Samsonov's struggles.

✍️ We’ve signed goaltender Ilya Samsonov.

— San Jose Sharks (@SanJoseSharks) September 8, 2026

Samsonov frankly hasn't been the same since the Toronto Maple Leafs were eliminated by the Boston Bruins back a few years ago, and has bounced around the NHL, and elsewhere since. After his struggles in Toronto, Samsonov joined the Vegas Golden Knights in 2024, and went 16-9-4 with a 2.82 GAA in 29 starts.

Across 200 career NHL games, Samsonov's gone 118-48-25, with a very respectable 2.77 GAA and .902 save percentage, along with 13 shutouts. The former first-round pick hasn't had the same success during the Stanley Cup Playoffs, with a career 6-14 record, and 3.05 GAA and .901 Sv.%.