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The Vegas Golden Knights received terrible news a few weeks back as starting goaltender Robin Lehner will likely miss the entire 2022-23 season. On Monday, the Golden Knights added a bit of an insurance policy.
Vegas acquired goaltender Adin Hill from the San Jose Sharks, the team announced. The Golden Knights sent a 2024 fourth-round pick to the Sharks.
Hill appeared in a career-high 25 games in his only year with San Jose last season. He recorded two shutouts while playing to a .906 save percentage and a 2.66 goals against average.
The new Golden Knights goaltender began his NHL career with the Arizona Coyotes. However, he was dealt to the Sharks because of Expansion Draft considerations.
Golden Knights general manager Kelly McCrimmon said he wasn't sure a trade would be made last week. Discussions with San Jose general manager Mike Grier certainly changed his mind.
“This puts another really good goalie into our organization and into the mix,” McCrimmon said. “Gives us a lot more comfort in terms of the position heading into the year.”
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The Golden Knights' goaltending tandem prior to the trade was Logan Thompson and Laurent Brossoit. Thompson is waiver exempt, meaning he can be sent to the AHL without going through waivers.
Brossoit, 29, is a veteran presence between the pipes. However, he hasn't had a ton of experience starting. Furthermore, he is recovering from offseason hip surgery.
A move needed to be made, and Hill significantly upgrades the Golden Knights' goaltending. One of Thompson and Brossoit seem to be the odd man out. McCrimmon isn't dwelling on that right now.
“Things will all sort themselves out with training camp,” McCrimmon said. “It’s a position where adding another NHL goaltender was prudent and a good decision.”
