Ilya Samsonov will get his first start of the season against the Colorado Avalanche, Tuesday.
Capitals head coach Peter Laviolette announced the news in his pregame press conference hours before puck drop.
By Chris Cerullo 1 day ago
Previewing the Washington Capitals 2021-22 season in the prevailing vocabulary of our time: vibes.
In this edition: The Capitals have a goalie problem, and it’s the exact same one they had last season.
By Peter Hassett 1 week ago
The Capitals’ Reverse Retro jerseys were a hit with fans last season. The alternate sweaters were the top-selling jerseys in the NHL in the first week of their release, and even NHL players across the league gave the jersey some love.
Now, Capitals goaltender Ilya Samsonov is giving a nod to the wildly popular design and rocking a bold Screaming Eagle on his newest mask.
By Elizabeth Kong 1 week ago
While Capitals head coach Peter Laviolette was dodgy when asked about Nicklas Backstrom’s availability for next week’s Home Opener, he was a little more open about the progress of two other injured Caps players who are nursing injuries.
Starting goaltender Ilya Samsonov returned to the ice on Wednesday for the first time since playing in his first full the Capitals’ first full game of the preseason, a 3-1 loss to the Philadelphia Flyers, on October 2.
Washington Capitals goaltenders suffered from bad luck and injuries last season. Henrik Lundqvist missed the entire season and later retired due to a heart condition; Ilya Samsonov spent two long stints in protocol due to COVID-19; Vitek Vanecek severely injured his hamstring in Game One against the Bruins and missed the rest of the playoffs; and Craig Anderson, at age 39, was basically day-to-day every day.
So coming into the 2021-22 season, there is general nervousness not only about how Ilya Samsonov and Vitek Vanecek will perform, but if they can stay healthy. Sunday, the goaltending duo experienced its first injury of the new season. Samsonov is day-to-day after suffering a lower-body injury Saturday night against the Flyers. He missed practice on Sunday.
By Ian Oland 2 weeks ago
Washington Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin returned to the ice in DC earlier this week and now he is hoping to see some Fitzmagic Heinicke heroics today from his favorite football team.
Sunday, Ovechkin brought his family to FedEx Field to see the Washington Football Team take on the Los Angeles Chargers — WFT’s opening game of the 2021-22 NFL season. He wore a customized number 8 Ovechkin jersey, just in case anyone was confused about who he was.
Ovi’s son Sergei can be seen clutching a Stanley Cup championship bobblehead of his dad as the legendary hockey player takes a call on his phone outside the gates of the stadium.
By Ian Oland 1 month ago
The Washington Capitals have re-signed their last major free agent – their potential starting goaltender for next season, Ilya Samsonov.
The Capitals and Samsonov have agreed to a one-year, $2 million contract.
By Ian Oland 2 months ago
The deadline for eligible players to file for arbitration passed today. We now have the list of players who filed, and Capitals goalie Ilya Samsonov is not on it.
Two ex-Caps are though.
By Peter Hassett 3 months ago
The Washington Capitals locked down Alex Ovechkin for the remainder of his NHL career on Tuesday, but the rest of the team’s free agency week was, for the most part, uneventful. The team re-acquired Expansion Draft pick Vitek Vanecek from the Seattle Kraken and signed four minor leaguers on Wednesday, one of which could figure into the NHL team’s plans next year, defenseman Matt Irwin.
The signings left the Capitals with around $2.62 million left to spend (when Martin Fehervary is added to the roster). Only starting goaltender Ilya Samsonov is left to re-sign. The team will enter the 2021-22 season with virtually the same roster minus Brenden Dillon.
The Washington Capitals tendered qualifying offers to restricted free agents Ilya Samsonov and Lucas Johansen before Monday’s 5 PM deadline.
The move allows the Capitals to keep the rights of both players heading into free agency.
