Predators Acquire Nic Hague, And It’s Confusing On All Levels

Predators Acquire Nic Hague, And It’s Confusing On All Levels

We knew the Golden Knights were shopping Nic Hague. I just don’t know where the hell this trade came from, and it’s pretty confusing on just about every angle you look at. I’m not going to cheese this intro any further because we have plenty to talk about.

Jeremy Lauzon and Colton Sissons going back to Vegas in trade for Nic Hague. https://t.co/fTtJAKUEE9

— Darren Dreger (@DarrenDreger) June 30, 2025

A: Absolutely insane move by Barry Trotz to hand out that type of contract to Hague. $5.5 million is an insane price tag.

Use whatever metric you want, this was a clear overpay for a third pair guy.

Nic Hague traded to Nashville and signs a 4 year, $5.5M contract. Good on him and his agent. We can often times come up with comps to justify a deal even if we don’t agree with them.

We couldn’t here. Acquisition cost plus contract is really questionable for the team. pic.twitter.com/gbcWJxRnqO

— AFP Analytics (@AFPAnalytics) June 30, 2025

Nicolas Hague has been traded from the Vegas Golden Knights to the Nashville Predators & signed a 4-year deal with an AAV of $5.5M. Yikes. Hague had solid seasons in 3rd pair minutes before. However, when his role was increased, he was pretty bad. Not a good move by Trotz. pic.twitter.com/NAsnmSoUcM

— Rono (@RonoAnalyst) June 30, 2025

Again, I’ve watched a lot of Hague over the last few years. He’s not a bad player. His 6-foot-6 frame certainly helps him defensively with that reach. No question about that. However, he’s clearly limited and brings next to zero offense to the table.

B: I’m not exactly sure what Vegas is going for here. Why willingly eat $4.85 million with Lauzon and Sissons?

On paper, I get it. Lauzon is a cheaper Hague replacement and brings a lot of physicality to the table. Bruce Cassidy coached him in Boston, and he led the league in hits two years ago. I get wanting to bring sandpaper to the room.

Sissons also feels like the Nic Roy replacement. He’s really good at winning faceoffs, and just being that defensive 4th line center. It’s decent depth. I just question why McCrimmon didn’t shoot for a foundational piece back in return instead of two expiring contracts.

Nicolas Hague Trade Rumors: What Can Vegas Expect In Return?

We know Mitch Marner is coming, but there’s more than meets the eye here. Is one of Lauzon / Sissons being flipped in another deal? If not, it’s hard to see a path to signing Marner and making further improvements after that. And honestly, they may not even have money left over to sign their RFA’s after this.

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