(Caps Outsider)
As expected, the Caps signed goaltender Ilya Samsonov on Monday, but the terms might surprise some as it’s only for one-year, $2 million. He’ll be a restricted free agent again when the deal expires. Fortunately, he did not file for arbitration.
This could be looked at as a bridge deal, but it also might mean Samsonov has one last shot to prove his worth with the Caps are clearly in love with Vitek Vanecek, who they lost in the expansion draft before re-acquiring again.
While Samsonov, now 24, had a decent season with a 13-4-1 record, with two shutouts, a 2.69 goals-against average and a .902 save percentage in 19 games, he did get into some kerfuffles with Covid and the Caps had to lean on Vanecek more than they probably planned.
The Capitals selected Samsonov with their first-round pick, 22nd overall, in the 2015 NHL Draft.
