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Ilya Samsonov will not join the Capitals in the bubble

By Ian Oland

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July 25, 2020 11:32 am

Ilya Samsonov missed every Phase 3 Training Camp practice since Caps camp opened on July 13. Saturday, the team announced that Samsonov will not join them in the bubble in Toronto.

According to the Washington Post’s Samantha Pell and the Athletic’s Tarik El-Bashir, Samsonov suffered an injury during the shutdown and will remain in Washington during the 2020 playoffs to undergo treatment.

The Capitals will bring three goalies to Toronto: Braden Holtby, Pheonix Copley, and Vitek Vanecek.

“It is disappointing for the player, it is disappointing for us,” Reirden said after practice. “He’s a guy that’s a really good young prospect for us. I thought he’s made some strides and obviously put together a pretty good run this year. To be without him is certainly disappointing, but the right thing to do is leave him here and allow him to get treatment so he’s ready to go next year when we have the opportunity to play hockey again.”

Reirden added that it was not a positive COVID test. “At this point, I can’t share any more. It’s an injury. I’ll have more at another time.”

The loss could be a major blow to the team. Samsonov was spectacular during his rookie season in the NHL, posting a 16-6-2 record along with a 2.55 goals against average and a 91.3 save percentage. During a stretch in the winter, Samsonov actually got more starts than a scuffling Holtby, including back-to-back starts for the first time in his NHL career in mid-January.

“I think he’s earned it,” Capitals head coach Todd Reirden said at the time. “Now it’s a chance to for him, again, to take another step. Continue to give him different challenges, one after another here, without overwhelming him. I think this is the right move, the fair move, and a move that is deserved.”

During the season, Samsonov won 11 straight games and became the first goalie in NHL history to win each of his first nine career road games in one season. He became the fastest goaltender in franchise history to win 10 games overall. He was also the third rookie in NHL history to win 11-straight decisions.

By the end of January, his record was 16-2-0.

But something seemed off for Sammy as soon as Training Camp 2.0 started. Samsonov participated in a Russian 5 TikTok video after flying to DC from Russia on July 2, but he would never make an appearance on the ice. His last sighting was promoting a car deal on Instagram July 13.

How he got injured during the lockdown is a mystery. NHL teams are not releasing the medical information on why players are on or off the ice due to an agreement the league made with the NHLPA for the 2020 playoffs.

In June, Capitals head coach Todd Reirden named Braden Holtby the starter but left open the possibility of Samsonov possibly getting action during round-robin play.

“Going into it, it’s Braden Holtby’s job to lose and I feel confident in him,’ Reirden said according to NBC Sports Washington. “I felt confident with where things were going right before the pause in terms of how his game was coming around and I think he’ll get the first crack at it.”

Reirden added, “It’s something that we’re gonna want to get both Braden and Ilya the proper starts and the proper reps. For that matter, we also need to make sure that if we are choosing to have our four goalies here with Copley and Vanecek, that they’re prepared too. So it all goes into our process. You don’t know how deep you’re gonna need your roster to be. But the way I see it, you’re gonna need a lot of players and it’s important that all of our players are ready and when they get that opportunity they’re able to take advantage of it.”

Headline photo: Elizabeth Kong/RMNB

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