Do the Vegas Golden Knights Have a Goaltending Issue?
The Vegas Golden Knights are the 2023 Stanley Cup champions. While many players contributed in one way or another, many fans are talking about the playoff performance of Vegas goaltender Adin Hill.
Hill recorded an 11-4 record in the playoff run on the way to winning the Stanley Cup. That performance by Hill gave Vegas plenty to be optimistic about entering the 2023-24 season. Or does it?
He is set to become a free agent, but the Golden Knights will have no issues re-signing him in the off season. Or will they?
Is Adin Hill at the top of the Vegas Golden Knights’ offseason list?
Now that the offseason has begun, we begin to think about next season. The 2023 NHL Draft is right around the corner, and the free agency period is right after that. Hill is among the Golden Knights goaltenders who are now free agents, along with Jonathan Quick and Laurent Brossoit.
Hill did lead Vegas to the first championship in franchise history, but will that accomplishment alone put him between the pipes on another team for next season?
The Golden Knights have a projected cap space of $3,462,516. Two years ago, Hill signed a two-year contract with a total value of $4.35 million. The 6-foot-6 and 198-pound 27-year-old netminder is likely searching for a contract that may double the AAV of his last contract.
Aside from his outstanding performance in the playoffs, Hill had career-highs in games played (27), wins (16), and GAA (2.45). He just won a Stanley Cup, is only 27, showed he can play in the NHL, and can lead the team to big wins.
If he stays in Vegas, he will need to stay at a discount unless moves are made to free up cap space. If those moves are not made, then Hill may have priced himself out of Vegas with that Stanley Cup win.
If Hill leaves, that leaves Quick and Brossoit as the possible backups. Moving from the Los Angeles Kings to the Columbus Blue Jackets to Vegas, Quick is at the back end of his career. At 37 years old, his days as a starter are numbered and likely behind him.
He split time between Los Angeles and Vegas, combining for a record of 16-15-6 with an .882 save percentage and a 3.41 GAA. Not the type of numbers for a starting goaltender.
Quick still has the ability to play 20-25 games behind Vegas starter Logan Thompson, giving them backup insurance and a veteran presence between the pipes. In 10 games with the Vegas Golden Knights, Quick had a record of 5-2-2 with a GAA of 3.13 and a .901 save percentage.
Quick’s last contract was a three-year deal with Los Angeles with an AAV of $5.4 million. If Quick has the chance to stay in Vegas, he will have to take a hometown discount due to him not being able to get another $5 million contract.
Vegas’s other option, Brossoit, played 11 games in net for the Golden Knights, posting a record of 7-0-3 with a .927 save percentage and a 2.17 GAA. The 6-foot-3 and 204-pound goaltender is 30 years old and would come to the Golden Knights as the cheapest of the three options.
He has shown he can play a solid position behind the Vegas defense. He can be a responsible backup with the occasional start mixed in. His last contract was a two-year deal with an AAV of $4.65 million. He may take a small pay cut to have job security with Vegas.
We may be looking at a Thompson/Brossoit Golden Knights goaltending duo in 2023-24.
With the roles of these three goaltenders in question, one thing that is not in danger is the starter position. Thompson is back between the pipes for the Vegas Golden Knights in time for training camp and will get the majority of the workload during the season.
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His contract is not in question, as he is signed for another two years. After missing time this season and all of the playoffs, look for Thompson to come back ready for another lengthy playoff push and regain that form that made him an all-star for the first time in his career last season.