VGK Nearing Extension With Adin Hill
It appears that the Vegas Golden Knights have chosen which impending free agent they wanted to retain. The Stanley Cup winning goalie will return to the VGK for the 2023-24 season. Adin Hill and the Golden Knights are nearing an extension prior to the start of free agency on July 1st.
Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet was the first to report the news:
Some other stuff today: sounds like Stanley Cup champion Adin Hill is looking at an extension in Vegas around the 2x$4.9M range. Nothing official yet, though.
— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) June 25, 2023
There is a lot to go over here so let’s get right into it.
If you watched my offseason preview, the Knights essentially did exactly the opposite of what I predicted. Or I guess I should say the opposite of what I would have done. Was Hill really worth this kind of cap hit? The playoff run was obviously incredible but the regular season track record was never there. Hill posted a SV% of .915 during the regular season and .932 during the playoffs. However, Hill started a career high 27 games for the Knights this year. This isn’t someone that’s ever proven to carry a big workload during the actual season.
Of course, the Knights obviously feel they found something. Hill played really well under goalie whisperer Bruce Cassidy and you just can’t teach 6-foot-6. It seems pretty certain at this point that the goalie room in Vegas next year will consist of Hill and All-Star Logan Thompson. Vegas obviously feels comfortable with what they have. Plus it’s only a two year deal and the VGK aren’t locked into a super long term contract.
Hill, 27, earned a $4.9 million AAV which is 100k fewer than what Robin Lehner is signed for. This deal for Hill likely signals the end for Lehner. It’s something we have talked about in the past but given where the Knights are cap wise, Lehner is probably gone somehow, someway.
It should also be mentioned that Hill was motivated to stay. Earlier in the week, it was reported that the agent was pushing for Hill to remain in Vegas. He got his wish. Maybe Hill could have gotten more on the open market but this is obviously a place he succeeded in and there is no state tax so that part helps.
UPDATE: The team has announced the extension. The deal is officially official.
Looks like they’ll have to keep running up that Hill… ⛰️
— – Vegas Golden Knights (@GoldenKnights) June 30, 2023
We have signed Adin Hill to a two-year contract extension!!! #VegasBorn https://t.co/ZXw7v3Nc7Q
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