By Jordan Long
The Vegas Golden Knights will play their first regular season game on October 11th when they face the L.A. Kings. They hope this season will be better than last year when they ended with a record of 43-31-8 for a total of 94 points. They missed the postseason by 3 points. The Golden Knights knew they wanted to add goaltender depth. They acquired Adin Hill from the San Jose Sharks.
The Golden Knights knew they would be missing starting goaltender Robin Lehner who is recovering from hip surgery. Lehner finished last year at 23-17-2 with a goals against average of 2.83 and a save percentage of .907.
Vegas was planning on a goaltender competition between Logan Thompson and Laurent Brossoit. Thompson’s career record is 10-5-3 with a goals against average of 2.66 and a save percentage of .914. Brossoit wasn’t much better for the Knights last season. His record was 10-9-3 with a goals against average of 2.90 and a save percentage of .895. Vegas decided to add Hill to the mix.
Hill was traded to the Golden Knights from San Jose for a 2024 5th-round pick. It is very unusual in any sport to see a team trade with a divisional rival. Vegas and San Jose are in the same division, the Pacific Division. The Sharks though receive a draft pick back and Vegas adds another goaltender for depth.
According to ESPN.com, San Jose General Manager Mike Grier said, “We have significantly increased our organizational depth at the goaltending position over the last six months. This trade provides an opportunity for Adin to compete for playing time, while adding another asset that our organization can use in the future. We wish Adin the best in Vegas.”
Hill will be in the mix to start for Vegas. He has played at the NHL level for the past 5 seasons. Last year, Hill went 10-11-1 for San Jose with a goals against average of 2.66 and a save percentage of .906. In his career Hill’s record is 29-32-5 with a goals against average of 2.74 and a save percentage of .908 with 5 shutouts.
The Knights know how important goaltending is. Hill is another body who can play the position. The Knights won’t know who will start the regular season. Training camp and preseason games will determine who will be in net for that first regular season game. Either way though, Vegas is anticipating this year will be better than last where they earn a playoff spot and have a chance to win the Cup.
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