Golden Knights sign Samsonov to 1-year deal

The Vegas Golden Knights signed free-agent goaltender Ilya Samsonov to a one-year deal Monday.

The contract is worth $1.8 million, according to The Athletic's Jesse Granger.

Samsonov spent the last two seasons with the Toronto Maple Leafs. He struggled mightily to start the 2023-24 campaign and was placed on waivers in January after posting a 5-2-6 record, a .862 save percentage, and 3.94 goals against average.

The 27-year-old fared much better upon his return to the NHL, finishing the regular season on an 18-5-2 run to go along with a .904 save percentage and 2.70 goals against average.

Samsonov registered a .896 save percentage and 3.01 goals against average in five playoff games this spring as the Maple Leafs were bounced from the first round by the Boston Bruins.

He enjoyed a career year with Toronto in 2022-23, logging 27 wins, a .919 save percentage and a 2.33 goals against average.

The Capitals selected him 22nd overall in the 2015 NHL Draft, and Samsonov spent the first three years of his career there.

The Russian owns an all-time save percentage of .904 across 171 NHL games.

The Golden Knights may ride a tandem of starter Adin Hill and Samsonov after trading Logan Thompson to the Capitals. They also acquired Akira Schmid from the New Jersey Devils on Saturday, but they didn't tender him a qualifying offer.

Vegas also announced that it signed restricted free-agent forward Pavel Dorofeyev and defenseman Kaedan Korczak to two-year contracts.

Dorofeyev's deal carries a cap hit of $1.835 million, while Korczak's is worth $825,000 annually, per Granger.

Copyright © 2024 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

BriseBois: ‘I know the fans are disappointed’ in Stamkos’ departure

Lightning general manager Julien BriseBois knows there are more than a few unhappy people in Tampa Bay following the departure of longtime captain Steven Stamkos.

"I know that it is disappointing that I was unable to come to terms with Steven Stamkos on a contract to keep him within the organization," he said, according to Bally Sports' Gabby Shirley. "I know the fans are disappointed, I know Steven is disappointed, and I'm disappointed."

The Bolts cleared plenty of cap space during Day 2 of the NHL draft Saturday by trading defenseman Mikhail Sergachev ($8.5-million cap hit) and forward Tanner Jeannot ($2.665-million cap hit) to Utah and the Los Angeles Kings, respectively.

However, the bulk of that money went to adding prized free-agent winger Jake Guentzel on a seven-year pact with a $9-million cap hit. Stamkos went on to join the Nashville Predators on a four-year contract worth $8 million annually after spending the first 1,000-plus games of his NHL career with the Lightning.

"Like everyone, I wanted Stammer to stay in Tampa and finish his career with the Lightning but, like for every player, there were also limits," BriseBois said. "We had limits (in what) we could allocate in terms of cap space to him.

"Obviously, Stammer is sincere in all of his statements saying that he wanted to stay in Tampa. ... At the same time, it was clear throughout our process he also had financial expectations that he expected us to meet and, ultimately, I felt ... if I agreed to the terms that he wanted in order to get a deal done, I would not be putting ourselves in the best position to chase championships going forward."

Stamkos and the Lightning won back-to-back Stanley Cup championships in 2020 and 2021. He was eligible to sign a new extension with the Bolts one year ago, and he said Monday that the lack of talks last summer was "the start of the writing on the wall," according to NHL.com's Robby Stanley.

"You're trying to hang on to something that doesn't want to hang on to you," he said, per the Lightning Insider's Erik Erlendsson.

Now, the veteran is looking forward to a fresh start with the Predators.

"The thing I loved and was intrigued with from Day 1 was Nashville's interest," he said, according to Stanley. "They had a plan. They wanted to execute a plan. It feels great when you're one of those players."

The Predators also signed free agents Jonathan Marchessault and Brady Skjei on Monday.

BriseBois, meanwhile, now has to get used to being the general manager who parted ways with Stamkos in Tampa Bay.

"It comes with the job," he said, per TSN's Chris Johnston.

Copyright © 2024 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Report: Oilers bring back Janmark on 3-year pact

Mattias Janmark is staying put.

The Oilers re-signed the veteran forward with a three-year contract carrying an annual cap hit of $1.45 million, reports TSN's Pierre LeBrun.

Janmark only recorded four goals and eight assists in 71 regular-season games, but he proved to be a valuable commodity in the postseason. "The Janitor" was a crucial part of the Oilers' successful penalty kill, notching a pair of shorthanded goals in the playoffs. He recorded four points in the Stanley Cup Final.

The 31-year-old projects to fill a bottom-six role in Edmonton once again next season.

Copyright © 2024 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Blackhawks add Brodie on 2-year deal with $3.75M AAV

The Chicago Blackhawks added unrestricted free-agent defenseman TJ Brodie on a two-year deal with an average annual value of $3.75 million Monday.

Brodie spent the last four seasons with the Maple Leafs. He signed a four-year deal with a $5-million cap hit as a UFA in October 2020.

The 34-year-old potted one goal and 26 points in 78 contests in 2023-24 while averaging 21:43 minutes per game, good for the most playing time of his Toronto tenure.

Brodie spent the first 10 seasons of his NHL career in Calgary after being selected by the Flames in the fourth round of the 2008 NHL Draft.

He was Mark Giordano's primary defense partner in 2018-19 when the veteran won the Norris Trophy as the league's top rearguard. Brodie finished 18th in voting for the hardware back in 2015.

Brodie has racked up 348 points and 1,375 blocks in 908 career NHL games.

Copyright © 2024 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Oilers land Jeff Skinner on 1-year, $3M deal

The Edmonton Oilers landed forward Jeff Skinner on a one-year, $3-million deal, the team announced Monday.

The Sabres bought out the final three seasons of Skinner's deal Saturday. Buffalo signed him to an eight-year deal with a $9-million cap hit in June 2019.

Skinner totaled 24 goals and 46 points in 74 games this past campaign. He's one season removed from a career year that saw him register 82 points (35 goals, 47 assists) in 79 outings.

The 32-year-old was selected seventh overall by the Carolina Hurricanes during the 2010 NHL Draft.

Skinner has amassed 357 goals and 670 points in 1,006 career regular-season games, but he's never seen any playoff action.

Copyright © 2024 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Canucks Bolster Defensive Depth with Vincent Desharnais Signing

In a strategic move to fortify their blue line, the Vancouver Canucks have inked defenceman Vincent Desharnais to a two-year, $4 million contract, translating to a $2 million cap hit per season. Desharnais, who stands tall at 6'6" and weighs 216 lbs, brings a significant physical presence to the Canucks' defensive unit. His acquisition follows … Continue Reading ››