The Vegas Golden Knights had an uncharacteristically quiet day when free agency opened Monday morning.
The main moves in Vegas were made by players moving on.
In fact, all six unrestricted free agents quickly signed with new teams.
Most notably, Original Misfit and Conn Smythe Trophy winner Jonathan Marchessault inked a five-year deal with the Nashville Predators. The contract carried an AAV of just $5.5 million, which was surprisingly reasonable considering his departure from Sin City.
However, general manager Kelly McCrimmon said in a press conference that it was the fifth year to which the Golden Knights objected. Ultimately, that’s why the deal fell through.
Chandler Stephenson signed a seven-year, $43.75 million contract with an AAV of $6.25 million with the Seattle Kraken, while William Carrier joined the Carolina Hurricanes on a six-year deal with an AAV of $2 million.
Michael Amadio signed for three years at an AAV of $2.6 million in Ottawa, while Alec Martinez joined the Chicago Blackhawks for one year at $4 million. Anthony Mantha signed a one-year, $3.5 million contract with the Calgary Flames.
After trading Logan Thompson on Saturday, the Golden Knights were in need of a backup goaltender, which they secured on day one of free agency by signing Ilya Samsonov to a one-year, $1.8 million deal.
Samsonov played the last two years with Toronto after spending parts of three seasons with the Washington Capitals, who drafted Samsonov with the 22nd overall pick in 2015.
This is Samsonov’s fourth one-year contract in the last four years. He signed with Washington for one year at $2 million in 2021, then he signed one-year deals with Toronto for $1.8 million in 2022 and $3.55 million in 2023.
He is back to the $1.8 million AAV he earned in 2022, his first with Toronto.
Samsonov went 23-7-8 with a 3.13 goals-against average, .890 save percentage and three shutouts last season.
But in the end, injuries and streaky play lost him the starter’s role in Toronto.
According to McCrimmon, Vegas goalie coach Sean Burke “feels [Samsonov’s] a real good goaltender that had a down year and is a perfect guy to bet on and bring in. Similar mindset or thought process to when we acquired Adin Hill,” McCrimmon said, citing Samsonov’s pedigree, size and athleticism as attributes that Vegas found appealing.
Like Hill, Samsonov might reinvent or revitalize his career in Vegas, just as countless other players have done before him.
The main difference between Samsonov and Hill at the time of their acquisitions, however, is that Samsonov has a proven track record of struggling in the playoffs, whereas Hill was untested in postseason play.
Though Samsonov won four games in 2023 in the first-round series against Tampa Bay, helping Toronto put an end to 19 years without a single series win, that is his only series win in four playoff runs with the Capitals and Maple Leafs.
That postseason, Samsonov won four games but posted the worst playoff numbers of his career, including a 3.13 goals-against average and .898 save percentage. He finished with a save percentage above .900 in just four out of the eight complete games he played.
Aside from that year, where he went 4-4 in nine appearances, Samsonov is 2-10 all-time.
That includes his 1-4 mark (3.01 GAA, .896 SV%) in this year’s postseason, as Toronto fell to Boston in seven games.
Anyone saying Samsonov didn’t blow it is wrong. The recipe for the last 2 games requires the goalie to make every save that he should. This was clearly a puck he shoulda had.
— Logan (@logopatt) May 5, 2024
If Woll was in Leafs win, they’re cursed. pic.twitter.com/LQtqjuVRe2
But if all goes well, Samsonov’s past playoff performance won’t be relevant. He is the backup, after all.
Of course, the Golden Knights need to win enough games in the regular season to get there, and given Hill’s recent injury history, it’s quite possible Samsonov will play a fair amount.
Though Samsonov is coming off a 23-win campaign, it was otherwise the worst statistical season of his career. He managed a 3.13 GAA and .890 save percentage, and he surrendered four or more goals 15 times. While he did record three shutouts, he lost the starter’s role multiple times and was consistently inconsistent. At times, he was fantastic; at times, he was awful.
Playing behind Bruce Cassidy’s goalie-friendly system and a better blue line than he’s used to should help, but he’ll have to overcome the dips in his play that have derailed his momentum in the past.
The Golden Knights signed two of their three restricted free agents, locking up Pavel Dorofeyev and Kaedan Korczak to two-year deals. Ivan Morozov remains an RFA.
Dorofeyev, 23, set career highs across the board this past season with 13 goals and 24 points in 47 games. He has 20 goals and 33 points in 67 career games with the Golden Knights and is expected to have a full-time role with the club this season.
His contract carries a cap hit of $1.835 million.
McCrimmon said he expects Dorofeyev “to really continue to blossom in the opportunity that he’s going to now have on our team.”
Korczak, also 23, signed a two-year deal with an AAV of $825,000.
This past season, Korczak split his time between the NHL and AHL, playing 26 games with Vegas and 26 with the Henderson Silver Knights. He recorded identical stat lines, with one goal and nine points in each league.
McCrimmon said that Korcczak will be a “full-time NHL player this year based on what we saw from his time with our team last year. He’s more than ready, I think, to step into an NHL lineup.”
The Golden Knights also made a few depth signings, inking Zach Aston-Reese and Reese Johnson to one-year, two-way deals worth $775,000 at the NHL level, as well as Tanner Laczynski, who signed for two years at $775,000.
Photo of Samsonov: Dan Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports