The Vegas Golden Knights have signed goaltender Akira Schmid to a two-year, one-way contract worth $875K per season, according to CapFriendly.
Less than a week after acquiring Schmid and Alexander Holtz from the New Jersey Devils in exchange for Paul Cotter and a 2025 third-round pick, the Golden Knights opted not to extend Schmid a qualifying offer close to his previous $850K salary from 2021-202
Schmid, who entered free agency recently, officially joins the Golden Knights with plans to begin the season with their AHL affiliate, the Henderson Silver Knights. Vegas addressed the void left by Logan Thompson’s departure by signing goaltender Ilya Samsonov to serve as backup.
Over the past two seasons, Schmid’s performance has been remarkably different despite playing a similar number of games. In the first season, supported by a strong young roster, he achieved a 9-5-2 record with impressive stats: a .922 save percentage and a 2.13 goals against average. However, in just a year, his performance declined significantly with a 5-9-1 record for New Jersey, along with a .895 save percentage and a 3.15 goals against average.
Given this stark contrast in his performance, it will be challenging for Vegas to predict what kind of goaltender they are acquiring. By starting in Henderson, Schmid will be joining a team on the upswing as they aim to qualify for the Calder Cup playoffs for the first time since the 2021-22 AHL season.
