Washington Capitals sign top goaltending prospect Ilya Samsonov

The Washington Capitals have signed Ilya Samsonov, one of the world’s premier goaltending prospects.

At the 2015 NHL Draft, the Washington Capitals surprised the rest of the league by drafting goaltending prospect Ilya Samsonov in the first-round. People expected them to draft someone who would help them more quickly. But the Capitals have been patient while waiting for Samsonov’s KHL contract to end. Now their patience can start to pay off, as the team has announced he has signed an entry-level deal.

His contract carries a $925,000 annual cap hit (the maximum allowed by the collective bargaining agreement). It is for three years. He is guaranteed $92,500 each year through his signing bonus. In addition, Samsonov has performance bonuses he can meet in each year, up to $1.65 million in total. Here’s the breakdown of his potential bonuses.

2018-19: $500,000
2019-20: $550,000
2020-21: $600,000

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Samsonov’s deal officially starts next season, which is when he’ll begin his North American hockey career. Considering the Capitals will most likely have to trade backup goaltender Philipp Grubauer for salary cap reasons, he will have a chance at making the NHL roster as Braden Holtby’s understudy.

However, it’s likely the Caps will want Samsonov to develop a little bit more, especially since the most games he played in any KHL season is 27. So don’t be surprised if he spends a bit of time with the Hershey Bears, the Capitals AHL affiliate. There’s no reason to rush Samsonov because Holtby is the kind of goalie who likes to start as often as possible.

It’s worth noting the Capitals rested their franchise goalie down the stretch during the 2017-18 season. And Holtby seems to be doing well despite that. It’s possible the Capitals will send Samsonov to the Bears to get playing time and call him up whenever he’s needed.

Washington also has goaltender Pheonix Copley under contract through next season. He’ll likely challenge Samsonov for the backup role. The Capitals are a team who might be up against the salary cap next season, so Copley’s $650,000 cap hit could play into the decision as well.

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Goaltending is integral to any team. The Capitals now have a luxury, as they have a known franchise goaltender in Holtby and a potential future one in Samsonov. Everything he has done in the KHL suggests he’ll be an above-average starter at worst. Samsonov’s athleticism and size (6-foot-3) are his greatest assets.

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