Adin Hill: The Obvious Salary Cap Casualty In Vegas?

Adin Hill: The Obvious Salary Cap Casualty In Vegas?

The Vegas Golden Knights struck literal gold when they acquired Adin Hill. The VGK gave up a measly third round pick and Hill became the number one goalie while playing out of his mind helping guide the team to its first ever Stanley Cup.

A very important question needs to be asked this offseason. Will Vegas be caught up in living in the past or will they recognize the opportunity to sell high while opening up the necessary cap space needed this offseason?

You can probably already guess the direction this post is going by that last paragraph. Hill is an obvious trade candidate this offseason and Vegas needs to dump him now while his value is still high.

I thought it was a mistake to bring Hill back last offseason. I would have kept Reilly Smith and went cheap with the other goalie spot. Vegas traded Smith and it was probably the right call. Smith didn’t play that well in Pittsburgh. Credit to Kelly McCrimmon for that call. He’s been right more than he’s been wrong since taking over GM duties in Vegas.

Meanwhile, Hill performed well but it came in inconsistent streaks. He posted a respectable .909 SV%. However, a more alarming note, Hill was hurt again for large portions of the season.

Hill has now been hurt in three consecutive seasons and last year he made a career high 35 starts. The Knights need to shed cap space and I’d argue a good place to start would be by dumping a goalie that can’t be trusted to stay healthy.

These are undeniable truth bombs every person needs to hear:

A: Logan Thompson is good. The guy made the All-Star team last year and his numbers are fairly similar to Hill. Why can’t he be trusted for an increased role as one half of the tandem?

B: Bruce Cassidy is known as a goalie whisperer. He’s gotten pretty much every goalie he’s ever had to play well. This article last year by the NY Times does a pretty good job explaining what’s actually going on. Cassidy’s system is extremely goalie friendly and has been for years. Every guy he had with the Bruins performed well too. Jim Montgomery still uses Cassidy’s defensive system in Boston.

C: Vegas has the best blue line in the league. It’s far more important to play well in front of your goalie. It’s like having a good offensive line in front of your running back. The NFL is smart enough to recognize 90% of running backs are replaceable. The smart people understand that’s the case for hockey. Goalies = running backs.

D: Have you seen the list of available goalies in free agency? The list is quite sad actually and nobody is really available. If Hill is available via trade, he will have his list of suitors. Do I hear a phone call from New Jersey?

E: Hill is heading into the last year of his contract and I have no idea how you extend him. He already has a $4.9 million AAV and likely will want a raise. A raise Vegas can’t afford.

F: Vegas has a hot goalie prospect waiting in the wings with Carl Lindbom who will deserve a chance to be part of a tandem this time next year.

Golden Knights: Ways The VGK Can Open Can Space During 2024 NHL Offseason

The Golden Knights have about $7.59 million in cap space to work with. Clip the embed for more information about that.

Keeping Chandler Stephenson and Jonathan Marchessault should be viewed as the top priorities. This is a team that went 7 with the Stars who seem destined to win the Cup. Keeping the core group of forwards and D together is the best path forward. The most logical way to open up space to pull that off is by dumping Hill. By the way, is bringing back Laurent Brossoit on a cheap deal to tandem with Thompson the worst move in the world? You can also explore the trade market too for someone cheaper than Hill. Maybe like a Jett Greaves, Yaroslav Askarov, or Pyotr Kochetkov?

I just hope McCrimmon is exploring those avenues to do just that as we speak.

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