Ilya Samsonov is back in the KHL, where he began his professional career with Metallurg Magnitogorsk over a decade ago.
The 28-year-old goaltender signed a two-year contract with HC Sochi on Saturday. Samsonov had been an unrestricted free agent after spending the 2024-25 season as Adin Hill’s backup with the Vegas Golden Knights.
According to sports.ru’s Nikita Nadezhin, the Russian netminder will earn 28 million rubles ($348k) in the first year of his contract and 40 million rubles ($498k) next season.
Samsonov returns to the KHL for the first time since the 2017-18 campaign, when he played 26 games for Metallurg before joining the Washington Capitals for the 2018-19 season. The Capitals had selected Samsonov with the 22nd overall pick in the 2015 NHL Draft.
Metallurg still owned the Magnitogorsk native’s KHL rights, so HC Sochi acquired them for cash considerations before inking Samsonov to his contract. Samsonov has been back in his native Russia since departing Vegas, attending former Capitals teammate Evgeny Kuznetsov’s first KHL game with Metallurg last month.
In five seasons with Metallurg, Samsonov posted a 33-16-9 record with a 2.20 goals-against average, a .929 save percentage, and seven shutouts. He won a Gagarin Cup with the club in 2016, going 6-4-3 in the playoffs during their successful run to the championship.
HC Sochi is the worst team in the KHL, having won just four games (4-12-2) from their first 18 this season. The team’s current number-one netminder is Pavel Khomchenko, who has a 2-8-2 record with a 2.75 goals-against average, a .917 save percentage, and two shutouts.
Samsonov’s return to Russia follows his six-season stint in the NHL with the Capitals, Golden Knights, and Toronto Maple Leafs. In 200 career NHL appearances, Samsonov totaled a 118-48-25 record with a 2.77 goals-against average, a .902 save percentage, and 15 shutouts.