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How Does Adding Ilya Samsonov Affect Organizational Depth?
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- How Does Adding Ilya Samsonov Affect Organizational Depth?
Simply put, the San Jose Sharks have had a lot of goaltenders join their organization this summer.
At the NHL level, they signed veterans Eric Comrie , Kyle Keyser, and now Ilya Samsonov to contracts, even though they're likely to report to the San Jose Barracuda. The Barracuda then signed a player of their own, Connor Hasley, to an American Hockey League contract while Matt Davis is also under contract with the Barracuda. The Wichita Thunder currently don't have a goaltender on their roster, which seems to be the key to the puzzle.
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It's all but confirmed that Yaroslav Askarov and Alex Nedeljkovic will be the Sharks' goaltending tandem at the NHL level. As a result, the questions start with the Barracuda. With Comrie, Keyser, and Samsonov all on NHL contracts, it's unlikely that any of them are sent to the ECHL which means we'll likely see a three-goalie rotation in either the NHL or AHL, with the latter being the most logical.
Comrie and Samsonov would be the logical tandem to start the season, while Keyser can fill in when there's a need. If one of the Sharks' goaltenders suffers an injury, Comrie is expected to be the first recall and Samsonov would take over the starting job with Keyser as a backup, If there's an injury to one of the AHL netminders, Keyser simply fills in as needed.
With the Thunder have a goaltender-sized hole in their roster, Davis and Hasley will likely be the players tasked with holding down the fort in Wichita. If needed, Davis seems capable at the AHL level and could be recalled in the event of an injury-related disaster at the top two levels. Whenever the signing of Yaroslav Korostelyov becomes official, we'll probably see him assigned to the Thunder as well to round out their goaltending trio.
While the addition of Samsonov does seem like it's slightly overkill for goaltending depth, it appears to be the final piece to the organization's puzzle between the pipes.
