The Vegas Golden Knights are getting some help in net.
With Robin Lehner set to miss the entire 2022-23 season after undergoing offseason surgery, the Golden Knights dipped their toes in the trade market for some goaltending depth, acquiring Adin Hill from the San Jose Sharks in exchange for a fourth-round pick in the 2024 NHL draft.
Despite being set to enter his sixth NHL season, Hill is still a largely unproven netminder at hockey’s highest level, never playing more than 25 games in a single season — a mark he set just this past year. The 26-year-old is coming off a decidedly mediocre campaign with the Sharks in 2021-22, finishing with a 10-11-1 record and two shutouts while posting a .906 save percentage.
Heading to Vegas, Hill will now be surrounded by far more talent than at any of his previous stints with other organizations, with new Golden Knights head coach Bruce Cassidy entering the fold to oversee a blueline that boasts the likes of Alex Pietrangelo, Shea Theodore, and Alec Martinez.
Perhaps that will be enough to help Hill improve on his somewhat underwhelming time in San Jose last season. With Laurent Brossoit also potentially starting the year on the injured reserve, Hill will likely open the season in a tandem alongside Logan Thompson, who took over the Golden Knights’ crease down the stretch last season when Lehner got hurt.
Given how tight Vegas’ cap situation is at the moment, it will be interesting to see what they do in net once Brossoit returns. For now, Hill will hold down the fort.
